Social-media engagement in municipalities: a citizen perspective

This article focuses on citizen engagement through social media. While prior research has addressed engagement from an administration-centred viewpoint, this study prefers a citizen perspective, interpreted with the Uses and Gratifications Theory. We administered a survey through Facebook pages of the largest cities in Quebec and boroughs of Montreal. Results show that informative content is more likely to increase engagement. The publication of good news and timely responses by municipalities also seem to foster engagement, while elements such as media richness seem less relevant. Our findings highlight several implications for public administrations seeking to promote a citizen-centred approach.