Social media used by local governments of the Lodz Voivodeship

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to present the assumptions of social media and their values in the communication of local government units on the example of cities in the Lodz region. Design/methodology/approach: The conducted study consisted in analyzing the content of official websites belonging to local governments of individual cities of the Lodz voivodship to see how information about social networking sites used (plug-in location) and the profiles themselves in these media are communicated in order to check what and how is published. The survey was carried out in October 2019. Findings: The study showed that out of the 44 cities analyzed in the Łódź Voivodeship 37 use at least one of the social networking sites. Most often it is Facebook - 36 cities have their profile, then YouTube – 19, Instagram – 7 and Twitter – 6. 9 cities have 3 official profiles on different websites at the same time, and another 13 cities – 2 each. For 7 cities, no profiles were found on social networking sites. Research limitations/implications: The study did not include less popular social networking sites (e.g. TikTok, GoldenLine, Pinterest). The goals of communication activities by the promotion offices of individual cities are unknown. This can be part of further research through in-depth interviews with people responsible for promoting cities. Possible extension of research to cities of other provinces. Practical implications: Based on the author's audit of the communication activity of the cities of the region on social networking sites, this article suggests that the use of social media is an appropriate tactic in promoting cities due to the participative, interactive, open and transparent nature of social media. Originality/value: The publication presents the results of research carried out on the basis of the author's audit of the activity of the cities of the Lodz voivodship in the social media