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Social Media Engagement in Public Administration: Communication Goals That Influence Reactions, Comments, and Shares

Clayton Wukich

Information Polity2025https://doi.org/10.1177/15701255251363912article
ABDC B
Weight
0.41

Abstract

Social media engagement—through reactions, comments, and shares—enables the public to interact dynamically with government-disseminated content. This engagement is valuable for real-time communication and for amplifying public awareness of programs, services, and rights. Despite its importance, prior research has overlooked the influence of government communication goals on such engagement. This article addresses that gap by examining objectives such as transparency, reputation management, coproduction, customer service, and citizen participation. Through an analysis of Facebook posts from 62 cities during Hurricane Florence, the article employs negative binomial regression modeling to explore how such goals impact public reactions, comments, and shares. Findings provide insights for aligning social media strategies with public administration objectives to increase engagement across various scenarios.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/15701255251363912

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@article{clayton2025,
  title        = {{Social Media Engagement in Public Administration: Communication Goals That Influence Reactions, Comments, and Shares}},
  author       = {Clayton Wukich},
  journal      = {Information Polity},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/15701255251363912},
}

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Social Media Engagement in Public Administration: Communication Goals That Influence Reactions, Comments, and Shares

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Evidence weight

0.41

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.25 × 0.4 = 0.10
M · momentum0.55 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.