Government portals, social media platforms and citizen engagement in India: Some insights

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines the current status of digital integration of five Indian state governments’ departments’ websites with social media platforms and suggests improvements for better customer engagement.Approach: Content analysis of 259 government departments’ websites was done to understand their integration with social media platforms, in top five populated states. The analysis on customer engagement was done in the light of Open Government Maturity Model.Findings: While examining the websites, it is observed that despite the digital infrastructure of the government, the reach seems to be towards a particular kind of audience rather than for all citizens. The analysis of top five departments’ websites from each state with presence of maximum number of social media platforms links showed absence of linkage with social media platforms.Originality and value: Analysis of the presence and digital integration social media platforms of five state departments’ websites was done till 1 May 2017. This research will provide insights about the status and need to design a framework to use social media platforms in Indian public system for citizen engagement.