Unveiling the diffusion mechanism of government social media communication effect: the role of media accountability

Enhancing the communication effect of government social media (GSM) is a key approach to building a service-oriented government. Based on the Information System Success Model and Dialogic Communications Theory, this study proposes a model that integrates information quality, operation system, interactive service, use strategy, and media accountability to estimate how GSM communication affects diffusion from the user perspective, which is empirically estimated by conducting online and offline questionnaire survey data of 1009 participants in China. Using the partial least squares structural equation model, the results show that GSM use strategy and media accountability positively affect GSM communication effect. Furthermore, the mediation analysis reveals that media accountability mediates the relationship between information quality, operation system, interactive service, and communication effect, indicating that media accountability played a critical role in enhancing GSM communication effect. This study offers a theoretical and empirical foundation for grasping GSM communication’s diffusion mechanism and improving public communication effectiveness on social media.