What is it about?
The study findings indicate that citizens are more inclined to consider Facebook as a means for receiving government information and consultation initiatives but they are less favorable in considering Facebook as a fit digital means for intensive deliberation or discussions.
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Why is it important?
While it is rational to consider that as citizens participation through Facebook occurs in a complex socio-technical and political environment and thus other non-technical factors – e.g. personal, social, and political – may determine the level of citizens’ participation, it also seems critical to understand if the Facebook platform is fit and suitable for e-Participation purposes.
Perspectives
Governments must understand that Facebook is primarily used to satisfy user social needs and entertainment more than as a formal channel to communicate with governments. However, governments could use Facebook to build intimate and long-lasting relationships with citizens perhaps through working on presenting interesting and pleasant content and continuously keeping citizens informed about the decisions and policies that have been produced or shaped as a result of their participation. Consequently, citizens can believe that their contributions made a difference and that their participation was worth their time and efforts.
Associate Professor Ayman Alarabiat
Al-Balqa' Applied University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The suitability of Facebook as a digital platform for constantly perform e-Participation activities, October 2021, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3494193.3494307.
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