| In the United States, 311 contact centers are a one-stop shop for government services. Processing nonemergency transactions inclusive of potholes, graffiti, and more; 311s are people, process, and technology intensive. Prompting local governments to explore alternative communication channels and social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter, is a collection (or combination) of technologies that could potentially be effective. Both have been successfully used for emergency communications in natural disasters and catastrophic events. However, as a nonemergency communication tool; both are fairly new, and little research has been conducted. How to tap the full potential of social media for government use and what themes affect nonemergency communications are issues that need to be addressed. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore citizens' experiences with the use of social media, in particular Facebook and Twitter, as a communication tool for citizen interaction, service demands, and quality of life (QoL). The study included artifacts, 12 citizen interviews and two employee observations. Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT) was the theoretical framework. QoL constructs of human security, livability, and government interactions related to communication and services were used to explore social media. The research described citizen experiences and factors crucial to Facebook's and Twitter's use for nonemergency communications. Themes found relevant were: (a) for social media to be effective, it must be accessed anywhere, anytime; and (b) nonverbal communications are not yet matured to the level of two-way dialogue. Recommendations for further research include more investigation on social media use while continuing to support telephone communications; and, how QoL has improved within cities because of 311s. |
