Social networks as a tool for involving citizens in governance (using the example of the official pages of local administrations of cities in Central Russia)

Abstract

Social networks are considered by the population as the leading way of communication, therefore public authorities use new technologies to inform and involve citizens in management. The purpose of the work is to evaluate the interaction of citizens and authorities using the official pages of local administrations on the VKontakte social network. The subject of the study is social networks as a tool of interaction between authorities and citizens. The article analyzes the official pages (state publications) of 7 large cities, which are the administrative centers of the subjects of the Central Federal District. Main research methods: analysis, comparison, generalization, methods of descriptive statistics. The author examines the work of Russian and foreign researchers on the problem of the use of social networks in the activities of public authorities. The indicators reflecting the effectiveness of official communities were studied: the activity of citizens on the pages, the level of involvement, the publication activity of the administration, content formats. The data was collected and processed manually and with the help of specialized services. There are few studies in which a comparative analysis of the interaction of local governments with citizens in social networks is carried out, so the article complements the current literature on digital communications in the public sector. An analysis of the indicators that characterize the activity and involvement on the official pages of local administrations shows that the practice of using social networks in the regions is different. All official pages are active, page owners (local administrations) and subscribers (citizens) are looking for ways to interact online. The results will help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the official pages and offer recommendations for improving the participation of citizens in the management process through social networks.