Grounded in solid research, Social Media in the Public
Sector explores the myriad uses of social media in the public
sector and combines existing practices with theories of public
administration, networked governance, and information management.
Comprehensive in scope, the book includes best practices, the
strategic, managerial, administrative, and procedural aspects of
using social media, and explains the theoretical dimensions of how
social behavior affects the adoption of social media
technologies.
Praise for Social Media in the Public Sector
‘Mergel has produced a foundational work that combines the best
kind of scholarship with shoe-leather reporting and anthropology
that highlights the debates that government agencies are struggling
to resolve and the fruits of their efforts as they embrace the
social media revolution. Social Media in the Public Sector
is a first and sets a high standard against which subsequent
analysis will be measured.’
–Lee Rainie, director, Pew Research Center’s
Internet & American Life Project
‘Mergel is an award-winning author who again wields her story
skills in this book. She excels in explaining in concrete,
practical terms how government managers can use social media to
serve the public. Her book puts years of research into one handy
guide. It’s practical. It’s readable. And it’s an essential
read.’
–John M. Kamensky, senior fellow, IBM Center for The
Business of Government
‘Mergel moves beyond the hype with detailed, comprehensive
research on social media technologies, use, management, and
policies in government. This book should be required reading for
researchers and public managers alike.’
–Jane Fountain, professor and director, National
Center for Digital Government, University of Massachusetts
Amherst
‘Comprehensive and compelling, Social Media in the Public
Sector makes the case that to achieve Government 2.0, agencies
must first adopt Web 2.0 social technologies. Mergel explains both
how and why in this contemporary study of traditional institutions
adopting and adapting to new technologies.’
–Beth Simone Noveck, United States Deputy Chief
Technology Officer (2009-2011)
Table of Content
Figures and Tables ix
Acknowledgments xv
About the Author xvii
Part One: Understanding Social Media Use in the Public Sector 1
1 Introduction 3
2 Social Media Technologies in the Public Sector 9
3 Drivers for the Use of Social Media in the Public Sector 37
4 Barriers to the Use of Social Media in the Public Sector 54
5 Regulations and Directives for the Use of Social Media in the Public Sector 71
6 Social Media Policy Considerations 89
7 Social Media Metrics 122
Part Two: Social Media Practices: Participation, Collaboration, and Transparency 145
8 Participation 2.0 147
9 Collaboration 2.0 180
10 Transparency 2.0 211
11 Future Development in Social Technologies in Government 232
Appendix: Overview of Social Media Accounts in the U.S. Federal Government 243
Glossary 265
References 271
Index 291
About the author
Ines Mergel is assistant professor of public administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the School of Information Studies (i School) at Syracuse University.
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