“@Government There’s a pothole in my street!”: Canadian citizens’ adoption choices of social media use in citizen-government relations

Abstract

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook offer new opportunities for co-production and interaction between citizens and government agencies. Until now, explanations of why citizens use social media to interact with government have been lacking in the literature. This article concludes on the basis of survey data gathered among Canadian citizens that social media use in citizen-government relations is explained by citizens’ perceived effectiveness and trust in social media organizational infrastructure, with trust in government, social media anxiety and ease of use not having an impact. Implications for research and practice are discussed.