Book
Authors : Mabillard, V., Zumofen, R., Dubois,P.
Publisher : Presses de l’Université du Québec (2024)
Title : La communication publique à l’ère des réseaux sociaux – Défis, risques et opportunités.
Abstract : Social media are exerting a growing influence on the communication of organizations, whether private or public, as well as on exchanges between them and individuals in the digital environment. Against this backdrop, it has become essential to gain a better understanding of these tools, which have often become a necessary part of these organizations’ communications. This is particularly true for public organizations, where the imperatives of objectivity and transparency are paramount. The use of social media therefore raises numerous questions concerning published content, moderation and interaction with citizens. This book presents the issues surrounding their adoption and use within public administrations, highlighting the benefits, risks and challenges specific to the main platforms mobilized. It also describes contemporary challenges and future developments relating to these media. The various sections are also illustrated by exchanges with digital communication managers and experts in several French-speaking countries. Describing the Canadian and Quebec cases in detail, it makes an original contribution to the literature on the subject, linking recent theoretical developments with observed practices. Public Communication on Social Media is aimed at students as well as communication professionals in the public sector (e.g. community managers on social media).
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Articles (peer-reviewed)
Authors : Mabillard, V., Zumofen, R.,
Publisher : Revue Politiques et Management Public (PMP) (2023)
Title :La relation État-citoyen sur les médias sociaux : Tendances et profils-types des villes françaises.
Abstract : Scientific research has exposed the potential of social media to disseminate government information and transform the dynamics of citizen engagement. However, the full exploitation of this potential remains difficult, especially in public organizations. The success and effects of these new forms of interaction offered by these social media have not yet been fully explored. At the local level, many municipalities are experimenting with these media in an incremental and sometimes disorganized way. Indeed, only a few are actively measuring their performance and their digital interactions with users. Different models have been proposed to describe the types of government communication and activity on social media. They are discussed in this article through three different phases: diffusion, interaction, and transaction. Comparing various indicators on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram helps to better assess how social media are used at the local level. This effort, both conceptual and empirical, allows the creation of a typology of activity and interaction of French municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Authors : Zumofen, R., Mabillard, V.
Publisher : Public Money & Management (2023)
Title : Debate article: Improving communication effectiveness or wasting taxpayers’ money? The use of social media influencers in public organizations.
Abstract : Recently, many organizations have identified social media influencers (SMIs) as relevant communication intermediaries, mostly because they provide access to and influence hard-to-reach stakeholders, for example teenage and young adult consumers. Research on SMIs has defined them as ‘third-party actors that have established a significant number of relevant relationships with a specific quality to and influence on organizational stakeholders through content production, content distribution, interaction, and personal appearance on the social web. With their audience considering them credible sources of information, SMIs can provide valuable support to organizations, while equally being a potential menace.
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Authors : Zumofen, R., Mabillard, V., Pasquier, M.
Publisher : NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy, 16 (1), 232-253 (2023)
Title :Social media use in Central and Eastern European cities: Defining government-citizen relationships through phases.
Abstract : Research has shown the potential of social media to disseminate important information as well as transforming citizen engagement with government. However, implementation remains difficult, especially in public sector organizations. The success, impact, and performance of these new forms of networked interactions are yet to be fully explored, especially at the local level. Many municipalities are still experimenting with the use of social media, and few actively measure their performance on these platforms, as well as their digital interactions with the users. Different models or frameworks have been proposed to describe the types of government communication and activity on social media. They are addressed in this conference paper through three different phases, which refer to forms of government-citizen communication on social media. The original assessment method developed here contributes to the existing literature and provides guidance to practitioners. Empirically, our research relies on a database of cities that have between 100,000 and 500,000 inhabitants in European Union member states located in Central and Eastern Europe. It provides social media metrics for all cities included in our sample (N=82) and compares various indicators on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, thereby contributing to better assess how social media platforms are used by local governments in the region.
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Authors : Mabillard, V., Zumofen, R., Pasquier, M.
Publisher : International Review of Administrative Sciences (2022)
Title : Local governments’ communication on social media platforms: Refining and explaining patterns of adoption in Belgium.
Abstract : This article relies on the literature on technology adoption and empirical studies on social media adoption in the public sector to analyze the case of Belgian municipalities. Our objective is threefold as we aim to: (a) provide a new approach to assess the adoption of social media platforms by governments, (b) describe the current situation in Belgium through the concept of “active adoption” and (c) determine the main factors that relate to the uptake of Facebook in Belgian municipalities over 10,000 inhabitants. To achieve these objectives, we used software to retrieve quantitative data regarding Facebook adoption and institutionalization. Our results reveal that municipality size, median age and longevity on the platform are positively associated with the adoption of Facebook. In contrast, median income is, surprisingly, negatively associated with several dimensions of active adoption. These findings contribute to the literature on the factors related to social media use. In addition, the new ways of uncovering social media adoption and institutionalization patterns provide a solid conceptual approach for future research. For practitioners, our study provides municipalities with a better assessment framework and offers them a new model to evaluate social media adoption, underlining the fundamental difference between registration and “active adoption”.
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Authors : Mabillard, V., Zumofen, R., Keuffer, N.
Publisher : Information Polity, 26(4)(2021)
Title : Innovative but conservative: The paradoxical case of Switzerland regarding social media usage in local governments’ communication.
Abstract : While a vast majority of local governments in Europe are communicating on social media, the situation differs in few states. Although Switzerland is often depicted as a technological advanced and innovative country, cities are still largely resisting the temptation to share information on social media platforms. In this study, we rely on a survey distributed to the communication managers of all cities over 10,000 inhabitants in Switzerland to uncover the reasons explaining this behavior. This approach is preferred to understand what motivates or prevents cities from communicating on social media, focusing mainly on perceptions of risks related to these platforms. Results indicate that some factors identified in the literature on public sector organizations slow down the social media adoption and usage at the local level; but interestingly, the conservative approach to social media preferred by numerous cities also plays a major role in explaining cities’ absence on these platforms.
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Other Publications
Authors : Mabillard, V., Zumofen, R.
Publisher : IGPDE (2024)
Title : Performance de la communication publique sur les réseaux sociaux : mesurer l’engagement et comprendre le rôle des influenceurs.
Abstract : Numerous academic contributions have shown that social networks make it possible to disseminate government information and transform the dynamics of citizen engagement. However, the potential for interactivity offered by these platforms remains largely untapped, particularly within public organisations. Here we describe three phases for measuring citizen engagement, and give an overview of the situation in French towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants (as at 31 July 2022). The second part of the article looks at the issues involved in mobilising influencers, an emerging practice in the public sector.
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Authors : Mabillard, V., Zumofen, R.
Publisher : Working Paper du CEVIPOL. Université Libre de Bruxelles (2022)
Title : Local governments’ communication in Belgium: A focus on social media adoption.
Abstract : This article relies on the literature on public sector communication to analyse the activity of local governments on social media. We aim to describe the adoption patterns of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in Belgian municipalities over 10,000 inhabitants. To achieve this objective, we gathered information manually and through a data retrieving software specialised on social media adoption and usage. Our findings point to a large heterogeneity of practices depending on location, size, and existing presence on social media accounts. While almost all Belgian municipalities are registered on Facebook, only a few are present on Twitter, and Instagram generally attracts more populous municipalities. In addition, patterns of social media adoption differ from province to province. We also note that while most municipalities post content quite regularly on Facebook, many are less active or publish very few posts on Twitter and Instagram.
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Authors : Zumofen, R., Mabillard, V., Pasquier, M.
Publisher : 2022 EURAM Conference
Title : From registration to ‘active adoption’: Presenting and testing a new measurement model to assess local governments’ adoption of social media.
Abstract : Social media are extending the information and communication technology landscape in the public sector. These platforms are used increasingly as a common organizational resource by public bodies. Measuring the activity of cities on social media is thus a recurrent topic of interest among scholars and practitioners. So far, few measurement models have assessed the adoption and use of social media by public bodies in a comprehensive way. Moreover, such methods often present a discrepancy between registration on social media and what will be labelled as “active adoption” in this conference paper. Our approach builds on the literature on technology adoption in the public sphere. Based on prior conceptual developments, it presents and details a new measurement model that focuses on quantitative indicators of Facebook and Twitter adoption by local governments. This effort is then complemented by an empirical investigation of the situation in Switzerland over a three-year period (2019-2021).
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Authors : Zumofen, R., Mabillard, V.
Publisher : Working paper de l’IDHEAP, 5/2021. University of Lausanne (2021)
Title : L’utilisation des réseaux sociaux au niveau local : panorama de l’activité et des pratiques en comparaison internationale.
Abstract : As a fundamental link between those who govern and those who are governed, public communication ensures that information is disseminated to the public. It aims to enhance both the legitimacy of public organisations and social cohesion. This paper looks specifically at the digital component of public communication, with electronic media increasingly the preferred medium for relations between the state and its citizens. The growing adoption of social networks, both from the point of view of users and from that of governments and their administrations, lies at the heart of this issue. This contribution explores a subject that is still under-researched: the use of social networks by cities and the content that is disseminated on them. The first part presents an original comparative analysis of the use of social networks in five Western countries. Taking a public management perspective, and adding data gathered from municipal communication managers, the second part focuses on the Swiss case. The results highlight the importance of resources specific to the largest municipalities, the still limited interaction with the public and the absence of a real dissemination strategy. They also highlight the importance of interpersonal factors in the adoption of the networks used, as well as the types of communication mobilised on each of them.
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Technical Reports
Authors : Mabillard, V. Zumofen, R.
Title : The use of social media in the Swiss towns and cities. Université de Lausanne (2019)
Abstract : Social network usage measured in this study focuses on the 5 platforms which, according to numerous studies, are most heavily used: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram2. Snapchat was excluded from this study since its use in the towns and cities analysed was almost nil. The results show that, in our database as a whole, 61.5% of towns are active on at least one social media platform.
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