Browsing by Author "Moody, Rebecca"

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“Citizens’ social media adoption in Paraguay”
(2021) Homburg, Vincent; Moody, Rebecca
This article aims to identify which factors are associated with Paraguayan citizens’ use of social media in citizen-government relations. We gathered data using a vignette-survey with which responses to four public service problems were recorded, apart from scores on perceived effectiveness, capability, social influence, trust in government, trust in social media infrastructure, and social media anxiety. Multivariate analysis was used to test hypotheses. Perceived effectiveness, social influence and trust in social media infrastructures were found to be significantly correlated with citizens’ use of social media to report public service issues. On the other hand, capability, trust in government and social media anxiety were not found to be associated with citizens’ social media use. The results urge us to further theorize and disentangle how perceived effectiveness, social influence and trust in proprietary social media infrastructures affect digital citizen engagement and participation, and under what conditions proprietary social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter contribute to a vibrant democracy.
“@Government There’s a pothole in my street!”: Canadian citizens’ adoption choices of social media use in citizen-government relations
(2021-11) Homburg, Vincent; Moody, Rebecca
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook offer new opportunities for co-production and interaction between citizens and government agencies. Until now, explanations of why citizens use social media to interact with government have been lacking in the literature. This article concludes on the basis of survey data gathered among Canadian citizens that social media use in citizen-government relations is explained by citizens’ perceived effectiveness and trust in social media organizational infrastructure, with trust in government, social media anxiety and ease of use not having an impact. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Weibo to the Rescue? A study of social media use in citizen–government relations in China
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021) Homburg, Vincent; Moody, Rebecca
Purpose In this study, the authors explain citizens’ adoption of social media in citizen–government relations in China, a country that blends an authoritarian governance regime with limited tolerance of and responsiveness to online citizen participation. Design/methodology/approach Original survey data were gathered using a vignette survey among 307 respondents living in the People’s Republic of China. Multivariate analysis of the data was used to test four hypotheses and identify antecedents of Chinese citizens’ social media adoption for “thin” participation purposes. Findings Citizens’ perceived impact of “thin” participation, citizens’ skills and capabilities and citizens’ trust in institutions are significantly associated with citizens’ social media adoption. Social media anxiety was found not to be associated with Chinese citizens’ social media adoption. Research limitations/implications This study demonstrates how vignettes can be used to study adoption of technological and institutional innovations in an authoritarian governance regime and how in this context existing adoption theories can be extended with notions of institutional trust to adequately explain citizens’ adoption of technological and institutional innovations in citizen–government relations. Social implications Although some argue that social media activity could potentially mitigate democratic deficits caused by the state, in the case of China, the intertwinement of state and social media platform renders this argument unsustainable. Originality/value This study is one of the few systematic survey studies focusing on Chinese citizens’ adoption of social media in citizen–government relations.