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Information and communication technologies (ICTs), as potential catalysts for increased political participation and democratic enhancement, are increasingly part of academic discourse. Advancements in online media and further analysis of ICTs’ influence on public participation are shifting such research from theoretical context to pragmatic understanding, investigation, application, and empirical research (Boyd, 2008). In particular, social networking services (SNS) like Facebook and Twitter provide valuable insight into the practices and theories of citizen engagement (Sæbø, Rose, & Nyvang, 2009; Taylor-Smith & Lindner, 2009). While there has been a great deal of discussion about the potential for SNS as a tool for citizen engagement, the success of these technologies in engaging citizens, particularly at municipal levels, is undetermined. This study provides a case example of a large city in the United States in the early stages of employing SNS for government services.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Public Administration and Development Management (2008) suggests that modern e-government systems should assess the potential application and associated benefits of moving towards connected governance, which offers a systematic approach to the collection, reuse, and sharing of data and information. As governments further examine providing a greater interactive participatory quality to the modern online public sphere, e-government systems will inevitably need to be designed to help mold patterns of communication, influence social values, and ultimately benefit the public (Brewer, Neubauer, & Giselhart, 2006).
In its early form, e-government was generally understood as a provision of government services by means of ICTs, allowing public administrators to provide traditional public services in a new and more efficient way, while at the same time offering new forms and types of services (Arjuna, Pradovani, & Nesti, 2007). E-government systems deliver services electronically to focus on citizens’ needs by offering information and enhanced services that enable stakeholders to influence government operations (Lappas, 2008). More recently, the promise of e-government has expanded to not only include the provision of quality government services and delivery systems, but also to the engagement of citizens in government (Bertot, Jaeger, & McClure, 2008).
ICT-enabled developments in the public sector raise important empirical questions about the impact that emerging information and communication environments have on the relationship between government and citizens (Lips, 2010). As government bodies evaluate the move toward SNS it is critical to garner how, if at all, new information/communication exchanges impact the existing relationship between government and citizens.