Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Hernandez, Sarah
Keywords
Social Media, Government, Civic Engagement, Technology
Area of Concentration
Sociology
Abstract
As society is becoming more involved with technology and social media but less involved in civic participation, I seek to analyze the way governments utilize online tools and social media to encourage civic engagement. I address impediments on the voice of the citizen such as power elite domination and the digital divide. I perform a content analysis on 20 municipal government websites to identify the best practices of government social media websites, and explore the ability these practices have to increase citizens’ voice, to address the digital divide, and to collaborate with citizens instead of the power elite. I find that most cities meet the minimum requirements stipulated in the Open Government Initiative. However, there is a small number of cities, Chicago, New York City, Seattle, and Avondale, providing a good example of efforts to rectify the digital divide and effectively engage citizens.
Recommended Citation
Zuber, Victoria, "FIND IT, FIX IT? AN ANALYSIS OF GOVERNMENT SOCIAL MEDIA AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT" (2015). Theses & ETDs. 5142.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5142