Make good use of social media to improve governance

"Governance" Thematic Research Series

Figures show that until 2019¹ , the number of people using social media worldwide has exceeded 2.8 billion. In Hong Kong, there are currently about 5.8 million active social media users in Hong Kong, accounting for 78% of the total population %².

Some commentators believe that the government's use of social media can make it easier for the government to disseminate public and policy information and promote interaction with the public. If the government uses this aspect properly, I believe it will be beneficial to governance work from the perspective of explaining policies and strengthening contact with the public.

In Hong Kong, there are many examples of the SAR government using social media. The SAR government mentioned in the 2008 Policy Address that with the development of new media, citizens are actively expressing their opinions online, and the government will be more proactive in absorbing public opinion on the Internet. In 2018, the authorities added a new way to collect opinions on the policy address. Citizens can leave messages on the Chief Executive's Facebook page or social media such as Instagram.

However, from observation, the SAR government’s use of social media usually attracts more “irritation” than “likes”. The series of social incidents that have occurred in recent years and the authorities' performance in monitoring public sentiment and handling crises through social media have also attracted attention from the outside world.

The SAR government has been using social media for ten years; the above situation will inevitably make the society think about whether the SAR government can achieve good results in the use of social media. The problems and challenges involved are also issues worthy of attention.

This study attempts to understand the perceptions and evaluations of Hong Kong youth on the SAR government's use of social media, and draws on the relevant experience of some overseas places, as well as from the perspectives of experts and scholars, in order to provide feasible suggestions on promoting the SAR government's good use of social media.

This study collected information from February to April 2020 through several aspects, including literature references and youth online opinion surveys. A total of 1,028 young people aged 15 to 34 were interviewed, as well as 4 people familiar with news communication and SAR government applications. Experts and scholars on social media profiles.

Main results of the study

1. The application of social media is a major trend; the SAR government needs to adopt an open and positive attitude to give full play to the functions of social media in governance work.
2. The SAR government has been using social media for some time, but it still lacks a strategy; there is insufficient information on the pages established by the relevant authorities, and the transparency of the overall performance data of the pages is also not ideal.
3. The young people interviewed rated the authorities' performance in understanding public sentiment and explaining policies on social media platforms very poorly, and they also felt that they lacked interaction. The SAR government needs to actively practice the interaction and response characteristics of social media, and improve the quality of governance through absorbing public opinion and explaining policies.
4. The dissemination power of the SAR government’s audio-visual-related pages and videos needs to be improved; the young people interviewed also have considerable reservations about the performance of relevant aspects of the government. One of the major challenges for the SAR government in the application of social media is how the authorities can still widely convey true news to the society through technology in a social media that is full of false information.
5. In recent years, trust in the SAR government has continued to be low, and social media has easily become a channel for citizens to express their dissatisfaction with the authorities. The SAR government must face up to its governance performance and gradually build trust.

Research main recommendations

1. Review the SAR government's use of social media and formulate strategies to leverage the good effects of social media on government governance.
2. Restart the one-stop SAR government social media page information platform to facilitate citizens to find relevant pages and promote contact between the authorities and the public.
3. Strengthen the interactive effect of the SAR Government’s page in terms of form and content.
4. Increase social media expertise and internship positions to attract professionals and unleash the creativity of the younger generation, and improve the performance level of department pages.
5. Continue to provide accurate information through social media to enhance society’s understanding of government policies and gradually rebuild public trust in the government.

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¹ Statista. (2019). Number of social network users worldwide from 2010 to 2021.

² We Are Social & Hootsuite. (2019). Digital 2019: Global Digital Overview.