SOCIAL MEDIA USE BY GOVERNMENTS: A WORLDWIDE ANALYSIS AND THE CASES OF SEOUL, JAKARTA, AND SINGAPORE

Abstract

This thesis quantitatively examines social media usage in 203 countries, especially by political leaders. For this purpose, quantitative data are collected from various social media accounts owned by national governments and leaders worldwide. Seoul, Jakarta, and Singapore are also compared to examine the relation between social media activity and policy process. The qualitative data collection is conducted by doing in-depth interview, FGD, content analysis, and perception survey.

This thesis finds that: First, Social media usage by governments correlates positively with the development of E-government and government accountability. Second, if the governments use social media intensively, then it tends to support the development of a collaborative model of e-government. Third, if the government employs social media intensively, then it tends to enhance government accountability and transparency. Fourth, if the actors involved in policy change intensively employ social media, then the interactions among the actors tend to be faster, deeper, and more efficient.