Social media use by government: From the routine to the critical

Andrea Kavanaugh*, Edward A. Fox, Steven Sheetz, Seungwon Yang, Lin Tzy Li, Travis Whalen, Donald Shoemaker, Paul Natsev, Lexing Xie

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

55 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Social media (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube) and other services with user-generated content have made a staggering amount of information (and misinformation) available. Government officials seek to leverage these resources to improve services and communication with citizens. Yet, the sheer volume of social data streams generates substantial noise that must be filtered. Nonetheless, potential exists to identify issues in real time, such that emergency management can monitor and respond to issues concerning public safety. By detecting meaningful patterns and trends in the stream of messages and information flow, events can be identified as spikes in activity, while meaning can be deciphered through changes in content. This paper presents findings from a pilot study we conducted between June and December 2010 with government officials in Arlington, Virginia (and the greater National Capitol Region around Washington, DC) with a view to understanding the use of social media by government officials as well as community organizations, businesses and the public. We are especially interested in understanding social media use in crisis situations (whether severe or fairly common, such as traffic or weather crises).

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationdg.o 2011 - Proceedings of the 12th Annual International Digital Government Research Conference
Subtitle of host publicationDigital Government Innovation in Challenging Times
Pages121-130
Number of pages10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011
Externally publishedYes
Event12th Annual International Digital Government Research Conference: Digital Government Innovation in Challenging Times, dg.o 2011 - College Park, MD, United States
Duration: 12 Jun 201115 Jun 2011

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference12th Annual International Digital Government Research Conference: Digital Government Innovation in Challenging Times, dg.o 2011
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCollege Park, MD
Period12/06/1115/06/11

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