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8/3/2019 Facebook Bureaucracy and Citizen Participation(2)
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FacebookBureaucraciesandCitizen
Participation
ByVincentHarris
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Introduction
Over156millionAmericanshaveFacebookaccountssoitseemsnaturalthat
largegovernmentagencieswouldbeonFacebookaswell-right?Withrecent
studiesshowingwebsitetrafficdecliningasFacebooktrafficincreases,itmakes
analyticalsensefortheGovernmenttoflocktothemammothsocialnetworkinan
efforttoreachconstituentsandfosterparticipation.AsDarrellWestmentionsin
DigitalGovernment:TechnologyandPublicSectorPerformance:unliketraditional
structures,whicharehierarchical,linear,andone-way,internetdeliverysystems
arenonhierarchical,nonlinear,two-way,andavailable24hoursaday,sevendaysa
week.ThenonhierarchicalcharacterofInternetdeliveryfreescitizenstoseek
informationattheirownconvenience,notjustwhenagovernmentofficeisopen.
Westsforward-thinkingbookwaspublishedinJanuary2004,beforeFacebookwas
evenfounded.Whilehisidealismstillringstrueamongstthosepromotingamore
digitalizedgovernmenttoday,itremainstobeseenwhetherornotgovernment
agenciessharehissentimentsandaretrulyembracingaparticipatory,two-way
usageoftheInternet.
Theory
Bureaucraticorganizationsarebydesignself-sustainingreplicative
systems(Garston).Itisbecauseoftheirinnatenaturethatbureaucracieshave
lookedtoexpandtheirreachintothetechfrontierandspecificallyintothesocial
mediaspace.PeoplearespendingtheirtimeandmoneyonFacebook,wherethe
publicdiscussionoccurs.Inordertoadapttothesehugeshiftsinculture,
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bureaucraticinstitutionshavesetuptheirownFacebookpages.Facebookservesas
amarketingtoolforbureaucraciestocatertotheirindividualissuepublicand
interestgroups.ThetenlargestbureaucracieseachhaveanindividualFacebook
page,buttheirusageofthesocialnetworkasamediumofcommunicationhasnt
beenthoroughlydiscussed.ThispaperlookstoanalyzehowAmericaslargest
governmentagenciesareutilizingAmericasmosttraffickedwebsiteandwhether
theyarefosteringanincreasedinterestintheirstatedmissions.
LiteratureReview
Relevantliteraturecentersontheconceptofe-governmentorhowour
governmentutilizesthewebtoconnectwithcitizens.Alotofthepopularworkwas
publishedintheearly2000sbeforetheprominenceofsocialmediawebsites,and
specificallybureaucracysdailyuseofsocialmedia.Despitebeingadecadeoutof
date,manyofthethemesmentionedwereextremelyrelevantforthispaper,
specificallythenotionthatdigitalgovernmentbringsgovernmentfunctionsdirectly
tothepeople,whichinturnempowerscitizensandstrengthensDemocracy.
NeilGarstonwarnedbackin1993abouthowharditisforestablished
organizationstoembracenewtechnologiessimplybecauseoftheslowrate
bureaucracyschange.Hispointthattechnologiescanonlybefullyutilizedifthese
technologiescanbefullyintegratedintoanorganizationalstructurewillbecome
criticalinunderstandingsomeofthefindingslaterinthepaper.Bureaucraciesare
large,lagginginstitutionsthatdonotadaptquicklytoanysortofchange.
AsmentionedbyCarolineTolbert,RamonaMcNeal,andDanielSmithin
EnhancingCivicEngagement:TheEffectofDirectDemocracyonPolitical
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ParticipationandKnowledge,pluralistscholarshavelongarguedthatwidecitizen
participationensuresthatdiverseinterestswillhaveinputinthepoliticalprocess.
ThisstatementencompassesanidealviewofadigitalDemocracywhere
governmentencouragesmassparticipationthroughFacebookorotheronline
initiatives.Pluralistsbelievethatthemorepeopleandthemoreinterests
becomminginvolvedingovernment,thebettergovernmentwillbe.Thisview
centersonthenotionthatwithoutadiffusedanddiversegroupofpeopleengaging
ingovernment,narrowspecialinterestswillbeempowered.Facebook,witha
captive,activeaudienceseemslikeanaturalplacethentoachievegreater
participationingovernmentfunctions.
Thewordparticipationiskeyasitservesasabenchmarkofsuccess
concerninggovernmentsusageoftheInternet.Ifagenciesareinvestingtimeand
monetaryresourcesintoarobustdigitalpresence,theywanttobeachieving
somethingintheshapeofincreasedparticipation.Thegoodnewsforthemis
researchhasshownthatcitizensareparticipatingatanincreasinglevelwiththe
governmentonline.Theseparticipatoryactionsincludeeverythingfromregistering
anewcar,payingparkingtickets,andfillingoutpassportrenewals.
InTheBottom-upDesignofe-Government:ADevelopmentMethodology
basedonaCollaborationEnvironment,theauthorsstate:Governmentsworldwide
realizee-governmentisthemeanstomodernizepublicadministrationandto
achievesocialparticipation.Thereseemstobeanagreementthatthenotionofe-
governmentdoeshavemanybenefitstobroadsociety,butdespitethe
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aforementionedwork,therehasbeenlittledonetoassesstheeffectsthatlarge
bureaucraticinstitutionshaveoncitizensthroughtheusageofsocialmedia.
Specifically,howagenciesareutilizingFacebookasameansofcommunicationand
methodofreachingthepublicatlarge.
BackgroundonFacebook
SincemuchofthedataandanalysissectionscenteraroundFacebook,itis
importanttoprovidesomebackgroundonthesocialnetworkandhowitfunctions
today.Foundedin2004,Facebookisthelargestsocialnetworkintheworldwith
over600millionmembers.Facebooksadvertisingplatformrevealsthereare156
millionAmericansusingthesocialnetworkandtheseusersareactive.Arecent
NielsensurveyconductedinAugust2011showedtheaverageFacebookuserinthe
U.S.spent15.5minutesonthesiteeveryday;thatissevenhoursand46minutes
permonth.ThereisnodoubtthatFacebookplaysahugepartinAmericanslives
whichhasledmanybrands,organizations,andpublicfigurestoflocktothesocial
networktodisseminateinformation,shapeopinion,andselltheirproducts.Users
onFacebookopt-intoreceivingcontentfromabrandororganizationbylikinga
page,whichinvolvesonlyasingleclickofthemousebytheuseronceloggedinto
theirpersonalFacebookaccount.
Therearethreemainwaysauserdiscoversapageinordertolikeit:the
pagebeingsharedinafriendsstatus,aninvitationtolikethepagewhichcanonly
bemadebypageadministrators,orthroughapaidadvertisement.Paidadvertising
hasincreasinglybecomethemostcommonwayforapagetogainfans,asFacebook
hasevolved,ithascentereditsbusinessmodelaroundadvertising,andthushas
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madeithardforpagestogainfansexceptthroughadvertisingthem.Thewebsite
eMarketer.comestimatesthatin2011Facebookwilltakein$3.8billionin
advertisingrevenue,anumberthatmanyprojecttocontinuetoriseinthecoming
years.Facebooksdependenceonadvertisingasasourceofrevenueisimportantto
noteforlaterwhendiscussingthesizeofpagesintermsofnumbersoflikes,as
largepagestendtousuallynoteausageofadvertising.
PublicmetricsonFacebookareconstantlychanging.InOctoberof2011the
companyreleasedanewpublicmetrictheydeemedtalkingaboutthis.Thismetric
isupdatednightlyatmidnightandincludesaweeklysummationofusershaving
interactedwithspecificpagesthoughlikes,comments,andsharesofstatus
updates.Thismetricwasreleasedinordertoencouragepageadministratorsto
pushinteresting,interactivecontenttotheirfans.Thismetricisveryimportantto
thispaper,asitwillbeusedtoshowcasetherateatwhichcitizensareactively
participatingwithcontentonindividualbureaucraciespages.Thetotalnumberof
Facebookuserswhohaveoptedtolikeapageisalsopubliclydisplayed.Thesetwo
metricsofferalotofinsightintoanorganizationsreachandalsoitsabilityto
updatetheirfanswithinteractivecontent.
ThepiecewhichisconfusingbutcriticaltounderstandisFacebooks
EdgeRankSystemwhichisusedbythecompanytodeliverindividualpagesstatus
updatestotheirlikes.Thisuniquesystemmakesalotofsenseonceexplainedbut
isseverelymisunderstoodbybrandsandgeneralFacebookusers.E-mailisstill
widelyusedasamethodofcommunicationsandservesasagreatcomparisonto
FacebooksEdgeRanksystem.Imaginethataparticularorganizationhas50,000
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Facebooklikesandalso50,000e-mailaddresses.Iftheorganizationsentane-mail
toits50,000persone-maillistusingamasse-mailsystem,itwouldknowtheexact
numberofe-mailsdelivered,thetotalnumberofpeoplewhoopenedthee-mail,and
evenspecificinformationoneache-mailopen(suchasthetimethee-mailwas
openedandwhatlinkstheuserclickedon).Facebookdoesnotoperateinasimilar
way.Ifthesameorganizationpostedastatustoits50,000likes,notall50,000
peoplewouldseethestatusautomatically;thereiscurrentlynowayforan
organizationtoknowexactlyhowmanyofitslikessawanindividualupdate.
TheEdgeRanksystemwasputinplacetohelpindividualFacebookuserscut
throughtheclutterontheirhomenewsfeeds,wheretheyaremostlikelytointeract
withastatus.Insteadofbombardingindividualuserswithcontentfromalloftheir
130friends(onaverage)plusanypagestheyhaveliked,Facebookservesthem
contentfrompagestheyhavepreviouslyinteractedwith,orcontentthatotherusers
makerelevantbytheirinteractions(throughalike,comment,orshare).Asseen
laterinthepaper,somebureaucraciesareembraceFacebooksEdgeRanksystemby
encouraginginteractionsintheirstatuseswhileothersappearalooftoitsexistence.
ThetermnewsfeedmentionedaboveisthehomescreenseenbyaFacebook
useroncetheylogintotheiraccount.Anexampleisseenbelow:
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UnderstandingthenewsfeedandtheEdgeRanksystemisimportant
backgroundbecauseusersspendalargeshareoftheirtimeonthesocialnetwork
simplyengagingthroughit.ArecentCBMConsumerPulsestudyshowcasedthat
45%ofaFacebookuserstimeisspentontheirmainnewsfeed.
IndividualFacebookpagescanalsobecustomizedthroughtheadditionof
landingpagetabsthatallowstaticcontentonapage.Similartostaticpageson
websites,thesetabsenhancethepagesbyallowingfordatacapturethroughforms.
Theadministratorofindividualpagescontrolscontentonthesepagesandputting
upabasictabdoesnotrequireanadvancedknowledgeofHTML.Laterinthepaper
willdiscussathowcertainagenciesareutilizingtabstopromotetheirmissionsand
garnerdata.
DataandDesign
Buildinguponpreviousliteraturediscussinge-government,thispaperwill
lookathowmodernbureaucraticinstitutionsareutilizingthecountrysmost
traffickedwebsite,Facebook.com,tointeractwithcitizens.Facebookpagesoffer
manydatapointsfromwhichtoconductresearch.Thispaperlookstoquantifythe
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reachofthetenlargestbureaucraticagenciesaswellasqualitativelyassesshowthe
agenciesarefosteringparticipationamongtheirrespectiveFacebookaudiences.
Withthosegoalsinmindthedatawillcenteronsizeoftheindividualpages,
participationoflikeswiththeagenciespostedcontent,andusageofFacebooktabs
asasignofanadvancedsocialmediapresence.
ThetablebelowreflectspublicdatafromtheDepartmentofLaborciting
FederalGovernmentcivilianemployment,exceptU.S.PostalService,November
2008.
TABLE1Agency TotalEmployment
VeteransAffairs 280,000
Army 244,000
Navy 175,000
HomelandSecurity 171,000
AirForce 149,000
Justice 108,000
Treasury 88,000
Agriculture 82,000
Interior 67,000
SocialSecurityAdministration 64,000
Thesetenagencieswillserveasthebasisofthepaperwithmostdata
discussedbeingpulledfromtheirofficialFacebookpages.Itisimportanttonote
thatthedatainTable1onlymentionscivilianemploymentofthemilitarybranches
anddoesnotincludeactivedutysoldiers.
Subsequentdataandanalysiswillshowcasethenumberofpubliclikesfor
eachagencyaswellastheirtalkingaboutnumber.SincenumbersonFacebook
fluctuatedaily,thedatasetusedwaspulledontheeveningofNovember25th,2011.
Asdiscussedinlengthearlierinthispaper,thesemetricsservetoidentifythesize
andparticipatorynatureofapage.Thesizeofeachindividualpagewillbe
comparedtothenumberofcivilianemployeesfoundateachbureaucraticagencyin
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ordertobetterevaluateeachagencysoperatingprocedureconcerningthesocial
network.
Mostrelevanttotheliteraturereviewwillbethedataconcerningpublic
interactionsoftheagencieswiththeirpagesasreflectedinthetalkingabout
numberaswellasiftheagenciesaretakingthetimetoengagecitizensinthe
commentsectionsofeachpage.Interactionsoftheagencieswithcommentersinthe
lastthreestatuseswillbereflectedinatableanddiscussedatlength.Finallythe
respectiveagenciesusageoflandingpagetabsasamethodofmarketinganddata
capturewillbeanalyzed.
Results
Thetenbureaucraciesmightbethesimilarintermsofsizeofemployment
buttheydidntreflectmanysimilaritiesintermsofFacebookusage.Beforewebegin
tobreakdownthedataitisimportanttoreflectonthevastlydifferentmissionsand
issuepublicsofeachagency.Theagenciescouldbebrokendownintotwodistinct
categories:militarybranches,andotheragencies.Thethreebranchesofthemilitary
(Amy,Navy,andAirForce)rantheirFacebookpagesverydifferentlythantheother
agencies.Everythingfromtheirlargernumbersoflikes,totheiruniquely
developedFacebooktabs,showcasedmuchmoreofaself-marketingmentalitythan
theotheragenciesdid.
ChartAcomparesthesizeoftheagenciesin2008accordingtothe
DepartmentofLaborandtheircurrentFacebookaudience:
ChartA
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Aswasmentionedpreviouslyandisshownabove,theArmy,Navy,andAir
Forcereflectalargediscrepancybetweentheirtotalnumberofcivilianemployees
andFacebooklikeswhichmaybepartlyexplainedwhenaddingintheadditionof
activedutysoldiers.AlsoimportanttonoteisthatintheDepartmentofLabors
numbersfortotalcivilianemployment,theycombinetheNavyandMarineCorps
civilianworkforcebothfallingundertheNavysbanner.Becauseofthis,theMarine
CorpsFacebookdataisnotincludedamongthedataset.
ThelargestFacebookpagesintermoflikesareallmilitarybranches.As
discussedpreviously,Facebookhasmadeithardforadministratorsofpagesto
growtheirpagesorganically.Becauseofthelimitsinwaystoexpandapagesreach,
manypageadministratorsareturningtoFacebookadvertisingasawaytogrow
theirpagesaudienceandpromotethem.TheArmy,Navy,andAirForcehavelarge,
activeissuepublicswhichcouldexplaintheirmuchlargerpresencesasseenin
ChartA,butevenwiththeirlargeaudiences,itwouldntexplainthehugepagesthey
haveamassed.TheArmy,Navy,AirForce,andVeteransAffairshavingacombined
total19timesthesizeoftheothersixagencies.Eventhesmallestpagesofthe
previouslymentionedfour,VeteransAffairs,hasmorepeoplelikeitthanthesix
0
200,000400,000600,000800,000
1,000,0001,200,000
TotalEmployment
"Likes"
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otheragenciescombined(151,556to115,775).Onlyanaggressiveadvertising
campaigncanexplainthevastdifferenceinthesizeofthepages.Witharecent
Webtrendsstudyshowcasedthecostofacquiringalikethroughadvertisingat
$1.07,itseemstheseagenciesspentaprettypennyinmarketingthemselves.Table
2reflectsthetenpagesbrokendownbypageswithsimilarnumbers.Thenatureof
Facebookadvertisingasameanstogainlikesseemstocoincidewiththeagencies
respectivemissions.
Table2
AggressiveAdvertising TotalLikesArmy 1,046,620
AirForce 594,763
Navy 404,251
VeteransAffairs 151,556
PossiblySomeAdvertising
HomelandSecurity 30,735
Justice 30,651
Agriculture 28,369
SocialSecurityAdministration 17,337
LikelyNoAdvertising
Treasury 4,649
Interior 4,033
Exceptwhenthedraftisenacted,theArmy,Navy,andAirForcesustain
themselvesthroughrecruitingefforts.Recruitinginvolvesheavymarketing
campaigns,whichinrecentyearshasincreasinglyincludeddigitalefforts,including
microsites,Facebookadvertising,andwebvideos.ThenumbersreflectedinTable2
reflectthispurposefulallocationoftimeandmonetaryresources.
StandinginsharpcontrasttothemilitarybranchesaretheTreasuryand
InteriorDepartments.Thepaltrynumberoflikesreflectedbybothagenciesshows
anobviousaversiontoinvestanyresourcesinsocialmedia.Foralarge,important
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agencytoreflectsofewlikesshowcasesalackofattentionbythestaff,andit
seemsclearFacebookisnotviewedasasitetofosterparticipation.
Thetenagenciesdiscussedallhaveverylargecivilianworkforcesandwith
over50%ofAmericanshavingopenedFacebookaccounts,itseemedinterestingto
analyzeanypotentialcorrelationbetweensizeoftheworkforceandtotalFacebook
likes.ChartBbuildsuponChartAbyshowcasingthepercentageoflikesas
comparedtothenumberofcivilianemployees.
ChartB
SinceFacebooksEdgeRank
systempromotespageswithalotofinteractions,itwouldbenefitanyemployer
lookingtopushtheirmessagetoalargeraudiencetohaveapolicywhichembraced
Facebookandencouragedparticipationwithstatusupdates.Itseemsmostofthese
agenciesdonothavesuchfavorablepolicies,ifanypolicyatall.Despitehaving
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
VeteransAffairs
Agriculture
Justice
SocialSecurityAdministration
HomelandSecurity
Interior
Treasury
%of"Likes"toEmployees
%of"Likes"toEmployees
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morethan88,000employeestheDepartmentoftheTreasuryhasonlyamassed
4,649likesonFacebook.
Onecouldarguethatpromotingitselfisnotimportanttotheoverallmission
oftheTreasuryDepartment.Accordingtoitswebsitetheagencyexistsforthe
purposeof,collectingtaxes,advisingondomesticandinternationalfinancial,
monetary,economic,tradeandtaxpolicy,ManagingFederalfinancesamong
otherlistedduties.Thestatedmissionrequiresaneedforcompliancebutnot
supportfromthepublic.Therecouldevenbeanargumentmadethatpublicopinion
isnaturallynegativebecauseoftheInternalRevenueService.Despitebothofthese
notions,theTreasuryDepartmenthasobviouslyspendalotmoretimeand
resourcesintotheirmainwebsitescomparedtoFacebook,despitestatistics
showingFacebooktrafficbooming.
Thesizeofanagencyspageisimportantasapublicshowingoftheirmindset
concerningtheimportanceofthesocialnetwork.Butsizeisnteverything.Facebook
hasputanincredibleemphasisonrewardingpageadministratorsforposting
interactivecontentusingtheirEdgeRanksystem.Thissystemencouragesactive
participationbytheuserbase.
Thepublictalkingaboutnumberreflectsusersinteractionswithindividual
statusupdates.ChartCreflectsthetotalnumberoflikesonapagedividedbythe
numberofthosetalkingaboutit.Insimpleterms,itreflectsthepercentageoftotal
pageuserswhoareengagingwithcontentpostedbytheindividualpages.
ChartC
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Unlikethesizeofapagewhichreflectsmonetaryresourcesspentinto
advertisingtoexpandgrowth,thetalkingaboutpercentagereflectswhich
bureaucracyispostingparticipatorycontent.Theagencywiththehighest
percentage(3.4%)istheDepartmentofHomelandSecurity.Theirpageisupdated
withavarietyoftimelysafetymeasuresandusefultipssuchashowtopackatravel
bagbeforeheadingthroughairportsecurity.Thepagealsoutilizesgraphicsbranded
specificallyforHomelandSecurityandasksengagingquestionsofreaders.Theuse
ofbrandedimagesshowcasesaverypurposefuleffortbytheDepartmenttopost
uniquecontent.
TheNavyandArmybothhadabove3%interactionsamongtheirpages.Both
oftheirpagesreflectedmanyofthepositivecontent-engagingqualitiesofHomeland
Securityintermsofpostinginteractivequestionsandphotographs.
TheDepartmentofAgriculturetendedtopoststatusupdateslinkingtonews
storiespromotingAmericanfarmsandproduce.Oftenthesenewsstorieswere
postedontheirwebsiteandlinkedtofromFacebook.Theagencyalsosetupits
00.5
11.5
22.5
33.5
4
TalkingAboutPercentage
TalkingAboutPercentage
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Facebookaccountwiththepopularlocation-basedapplicationFourSquarewhich
allowsuserstosharetheirphysicallocationswiththeirfriends.Whoeverwas
managingthesocialmediaaccountfortheDepartmenthadchosentolinktheir
FourSquareaccounttotheirFacebookpage.Theentirestatusispostedinits
entiretybelow:
Aspreviouslymentioned,Facebookusersinteractwithstatuseslargelyin
theirnewsfeed,sotheaverageuserwouldseethestatusabovebyitselfamongst
updatesfromtheirfriendsandotherpagestheyliked.Thestatusbyitselfis
incrediblyvague,andutilizesterminologymeantforthemicro-bloggingwebsite
Twitter(#hashtags).Bazaaralsoisthefactthataphysicalagencyisutilizing
FourSquaretocheckintoalocationotherthantheirmainaddressinWashington,
D.C.Itmakesitseemasifthephysicalagencywasonatourofthecountryinsteadof
theagenciesstaff.Importanttoalsonoteisthatadministratorscantargettheir
statusupdatesbylocationsoiftheagencyweretryingtopromoteaneventin
Virginiatheycouldhavepostedtheupdatejusttotheirlikeswhoself-identifiedas
livinginVirginiainsteadoftoeveryone.
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TheDepartmentofJusticehadthelowestpercentageofinteractionsat
1.86%.Unsurprisingly,theirpagewasamongthemostmundaneofthegroupin
termsofcontent.Statusupdateswereoftenrepeatedmultipletimesandthe
administratorutilizedTwitter-language(#hashtags),thatdoesntmakelinguistic
sensewithinFacebooksinfrastructure.Belowisanexampleofarepeatedstatus
postedfivedaysapart:
Ifencouragingparticipationingovernmentisoneofthemajorreasonsfor
utilizingFacebook,twoadditionaldatapointsshouldbelookedat.Everystatus
updatetoFacebookallowsuserstoleavecomments.Thesecommentsofteninvolve
acitizensopinion,comment,orquestion.Theadministratorsofthepageshavethe
abilitytorespondtotheserealcitizenscommentsjustastheywouldviaanyother
communicationsmedium.Table3looksatdatapulledonNovember26th,2011from
thelastfivecontentpoststoeachpageandshowsthatnoneofthepagesresponded
toanycitizensleavingcomments.
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Table3
Agency
Interactingwith
Commenters?
UtilizingAdditional
Tabs?
VeteransAffairs NO YES
Army NO YES
Navy NO YES
HomelandSecurity NO YES
AirForce NO YES
Justice NO NO
Treasury NO YES
Agriculture NO NO
Interior NO NO
SocialSecurity NO YES
ManybrandsandorganizationshavebeenutilizingtabsonFacebookasa
waytofurthermarketthemselvesthroughvideoanddatacollection.Manyofthe
agenciesutilizedtabsbutonlytoputuptheirofficialFacebookcommunications
policies.Themilitarybranchesledthewayconcerningutilizationofthesespaces.
TheArmyutilizedtheirlandingpagetabsasstaticwebpageswould,havingtabs
titledSeniorLeaders,JoiningtheArmyFAQ,Videos,andHOOAHwhichservedas
theirdefaultlandingtabforpeoplevisitingthepage.Thatspecifictabisseenbelow
andservesasagreatexampleofadvancedgraphicanddevelopmentworkthatcan
assistinbrandingapagetobetterinteractwithFacebookusers.
FurtherAnalysis
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Bureaucraticinstitutionsplayacriticalroleinthelivesofeverydaycitizens
andshouldbeconstantlytryingtobetterstreamlinetheirprocessesandfoster
increasedinputfromthepublicatlarge.Facebookisalargepartofamajorityof
Americanslives,specificallyservingasaplacetoreceivecontentandinteractwith
information.Sincethisisthecase,bureaucraciesshouldutilizeFacebooktobetter
servenotjusttheirnicheaudiencesbutinformtheAmericanpublicabouttheir
missionsandsolicitfeedbackintotheirprocesses.Manylargebureaucraciesarenot
doingthat.
ThebestdeterminantofwhetheranagencywasutilizingFacebook
successfullyseemedtobetheagenysmission.Themilitaryagencieshaveatangible
needthattheothersdonot:recruitment.Allbureaucraciesneednewemployeesbut
theArmy,Navy,andAirForcearebentonrecruitingactivedutysoldierstotrain
andsendintobattle.Manyoftheserecruitsareyoung,whichmatchestheoverall
demographicsofFacebook,soitfitsperfectly.Theaggressiveapproachbythe
militarybranchescanmostclearlybeseenintheirallocationofmonetaryresources
indigitaladvertising.Duringthecourseofwritingthispaper,Ipersonallywas
servedadsfortwobranchesofthemilitarythatcouldhavetargetedmeanything
frommypersonalintereststoage.ThelargediscrepancyinsizeoftheFacebook
pageoftheArmywithover1,000,000likestothatoftheDepartmentofInterior
withbarely4,000likesistrulystaggering.
Besidesthedifferentinherentreasonsfortheseagenciesbeingactiveon
Facebook,anotherinterestingsetofdatatoanalyzewouldbetolookattheaverage
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ageofthelikesonbothpages.Onlythepageadministratorswouldhaveaccessto
thisdatabutitcouldshedsomelightonpageactivity.
Whilethequestionofanagencysmissionandissuepublicwouldseemto
haveaneffectontheorganicsizeandactivityontheirFacebookpage,itdoesnot
reflectwhatappearstobeapurposefullackofattentiontoFacebookbysomeofthe
discussedbureaucracies.Perhapsanexplanationdiscussedbrieflyearlieristhat
bureaucraciesareslowtochangeonalllevels.Buildingonthisnotion,itwould
makesensethatanolder,institutionalizedworkforcemightnotbethebestat
embracingsocialmediacenteredonayoungergeneration.
FewagenciesaffectAmericansonadailybasis,asdoestheDepartmentof
HomelandSecurity.Whetheritisairportsecurityorsecuritythreats,theagencyhas
averyimportantroleinsociety.Despiteitsrole,theagencyhasonlybeenableto
garneraround30,000likes,roughlythesizeofJuneau,Alaskaaccordingtorecent
populationestimates.Thepotentialbenefittosocietybyreceivingsecurityhazards
andupdatedtravelwarningswouldbehugeiftheDepartmentwereabletoreach
morepeoplethroughitspage.Itwouldbebeneficialtofindouthowmoneyinthe
communicationsshopattheagencyisbudgetedandifthereisaspecificreasonthat
theagencydoesnotspendmoremoneygrowingtheirreachonFacebook.
Thispaperdidnotdiscusstheformalsocialmediapoliciesofeachindividual
agencybutitdidlookintotheratioofFacebooklikestototalcivilianemployment
ateach.Inmanycasesevenif100%oftheFacebooklikecompositionofanagency
weremadeupofitsemployees,itwouldfallwellbelow50%ofthetotalnumberof
employeesonstaff.Certainlynoteveryemployeewantstoliketheirworkplace
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butitisinterestingtheincrediblylowpercentageateachagencywhoseemwilling
totaketheverysimpleactionofclickingthelikebuttonfortheplaceof
employment.Thiswouldmakeforaverygoodfollowuppaperonthemoodsand
patternsofacareerbureaucratonsocialmedia.
Ifasmentionedintheliteraturereview,agoalofincreasedgovernment
transparencyonlineistofostersocialparticipation,thenitseemsmanyofthese
agenciesaredoingsomethingwrong.ThemissionstatementoftheDepartmentof
Justicementionstheirpurposeastoensurepublicsafetyagainstthreatsforeign
anddomestic;toprovidefederalleadershipinpreventingandcontrollingcrime.
Thatisapowerfulstatementforanincrediblypowerfulagency.Despitehavinga
robustandinteractivewebsite,theagencyhasobviouslynotinvestedresourcesinto
promotingitsmissionthroughFacebook.Itisoneofonlythreeoftheagencies
mentionedthatdidnothaveasinglestaticFacebooktabdiscussingitsmissionorto
solicitfeedback.Italsohadthelowesttalkingaboutpercentage,largelybecauseof
theirrepeatedpostingofpressreleases,hardlyincitingparticipationamong
citizens.
Everyoneofthesebureaucraciescertainlyhasanexpansive,skilled
communicationsstaff.Theyalsolikelyhavelowerlevelstaffthatanswerse-mails,
letters,andfaxes.ItiscuriousthenthatcommentsleftontheirFacebookpagesgo
unanswered,evenwhendirect,relevantquestionsareaskedoftheagency.This
certainlydoesnotfosterparticipation-onecouldevenargueithindersit.Why
createaforumfordiscussionifthereisnotangiblediscussion?Answering
commentstakestime,butveryfewoftheothercommunicationsmediumswith
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theseagenciesarepublicwhichwouldseemtolenditselftoaneedfortwo-way
communicatingsoasnottoseemlikeavoidingpeople.
FacebooksEdgeRanksystemhasbeendiscussedthroughoutthepaperand
iscriticaltounderstandinghowthesocialnetworkpromotescontentofonepage
overanother.Sincethemorepeoplewhointeractwithastatusmeansthemore
peoplewillseethestatus,itcertainlybenefitsagencieswillingtoinvesthuman
resourcesinmakingcontentasinteractiveaspossible.Veryfewoftheposted
statuses,evenamongthemilitarybranches,soliciteddirectfeedbackfromFacebook
users.Thismeansveryfewstatusesaskeduserstolike,share,orcommenton
thestatuswhichraisesthenumberofinteractionsandthusthetalkingabout
number.Themoreinteractionsmeanthefurtherthereachofthepieceofcontent.If
theagenciesbegantomakepurposefulcallstoactionintheircontentpoststhey
wouldcertainlyseealargerresponserate.
Everyoneofthetenagenciesdiscussedhasawebsitewithmultiplestatic
pagesandinteractivecontent.Itseemsoddthenthattheagencieswouldnotwant
toutilizetheabilitytopoststaticcontenttoFacebookontabs.Overalltheusageof
tabswasseverelyunderutilizedacrossthetenbureaucracies.Notonlyweretabs
notappliedwellinmostcasesbutalsotheagenciesshowedalackofmonetary
resourcestodevelopingbrandedapplications,whichcouldfosterparticipationon
Facebook.Forexample,theDepartmentofHomelandSecuritycouldpostatab,
whichdiscussesairportsecurityproceduresandsolicitsfeedbackontherules.Not
onlywouldtheybeabletogaine-mailaddressesanddataonthosegivingtheir
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feedbackbuttheywouldbeproliferatingcontentthatalreadyexistsontheir
website.
Conclusion
AlltenofthelargestAmericanbureaucracieshavecheckedthenecessarybox
ofsettingupaFacebookpagebuttheirindividualusesofthesocialnetworkvaries
tremendously.Itseemsthemissionandnatureoftheagencieshassomeimpacton
thewaytheyapproachFacebook,whethertomarketthemselvesaggressivelyor
simplypostpressreleases.Thewidegapbetweenthosewhohaveinvestedmoney
intoarobustFacebookpresenceandthosewhohaventisreflectedbothinthe
publicsizeofapagebutalsointermsofadvanceddevelopmentworkonspecialized
tabs.
SocialmediawillnotbegoingawayanytimesoonandtherecentArabSpring
revolutionshaveevenputmoreemphasisontheneedforGovernmentsacrossthe
worldtoengagetheircitizensviatheseimportantmediums.Ascultureandcitizen
preferencesonwhereinformationisconsumedchange,itisultimatelytheroleof
governmenttoneedtoadjustwheretheyaresharingcontentinordertofostera
moreeducatedpopulace.
Facebookseemslargelytobeusedasacommunicationstoolforeachofthe
agenciesdiscussed.Rarelyisfeedbackbeingsolicitedandinteractionsofthe
agenciestoaveragecitizensarevirtuallynon-existent.HopefullyasGovernment
continuestoevolveinitsusageofdigitalmediumstoreachcitizensitwillmakea
determinationonwhetheritwantstoactuallyengagefullyinthechosenplatforms
orsimplydipitstoeinthewater.Sofaritseemsapparentthatunlessthereisa
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compellingself-interestedreasonforarobustFacebookoperationtoexist,the
agencieshavebetterthingstodo.
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Resources
Publishedworks:
AnalyzingtheRepresentativenessofInternetPoliticalParticipationSamuelJ.BestandBrianS.Krueger
PoliticalBehaviorVol.27,No.2(Jun.,2005)(pp.183-216)
Bureaucracy:ThreeParadigmsNeilGarston.Springer,1993TheBottom-upDesignofe-Government:ADevelopmentMethodologybasedonaCollaborationEnvironmentLeoAnthopoulos,PanagiotisSiozos,AlexandrosNanopoulos,I.A.Tsoukalas
e-ServiceJournal,Vol.4,No.3(Summer2006),pp.3-24
DigitalGovernment:TechnologyandPublicSectorPerformanceDarrellM.West.PrincetonUniversityPress,2005
EnhancingCivicEngagement:TheEffectofDirectDemocracyonPoliticalParticipationandKnowledge.CarolineJ.Tolbert,RamonaS.McNeal,DanielA.SmithStatePolitics&PolicyQuarterly,Vol.3,No.1(Spring,2003),pp.23-41
Socialmediafacts&figures:
DepartmentofLabor-GovernmentEmploymentStatisticshttp://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htmNielsen-AverageTimeSpentonFacebookhttp://mashable.com/2011/09/30/wasting-time-on-facebook/FacebooksAdRevenueshttp://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008598AverageamountoffriendsperFacebookuserhttps://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
AgencyFacebookpages:
Agriculturehttps://www.facebook.com/USDA
AirForcehttps://www.facebook.com/#!/USairforce
Armyhttps://www.facebook.com/usarmyHomelandSecurityhttps://www.facebook.com/homelandsecurity
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Interiorhttps://www.facebook.com/USInteriorJusticehttps://www.facebook.com/DOJ
Navyhttps://www.facebook.com/#!/USNavySocialSecurityAdministrationhttps://www.facebook.com/socialsecurityTreasuryhttps://www.facebook.com/ustreasury
VeteransAffairshttps://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairs