Write about the role of government media agencies/department.
Answers
Explanation:
Social media is used by citizens all around the world; however, government social media isn’t being used to its full potential.
This is all the more surprising given that social media is the ideal tool for government departments to reach their audience – citizens. This is something big business and brands have been doing for over half a decade and there’s a lot we can learn from their activity online that applies to government.
According to the Sensis Social Media Report 2017: How Australian people and businesses are using social media (SSMR), more than ever large businesses are using these platform for two-way communication between themselves and their audience.
In Australia, Facebook continues to be the most popular social media platform by far for businesses of all sizes, followed by LinkedIn and Twitter, and for large to medium businesses, Instagram and YouTube are also common.[1]
While many businesses are reaping the benefits of social media, decision makers within government departments and agencies are still trying to figure out the best way to approach citizens with the available social tools.
THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN GOVERNMENT
As the number of Facebook users increase, users are consistently voicing their opinions on user policy and functionality. Facebook staff are able to follow these opinions and change the platforms settings accordingly, resulting in increased participation.
Today, more people are online than ever. The SSMR found that an average Australian spends more than 10 hours on Facebook alone per week, while the use of platforms like Twitter and Instagram have rapidly grown in the past year with more than 1/3 of the population actively using them.
This should be a wakeup call for government departments that aren’t on social media. This is where citizens are, and this is how you can reach them; government social media will help departments directly connect with citizens.
Thus, it is inevitable that government departments, to achieve their desired policy objectives, should start using social media channels to better communicate with the public in a valuable and meaningful way.