Open Access
Article
SciPap-1553
Enhancing Citizen Participation through Social Media Engagement: The Case of Czech Municipal Facebook
by
Nikola Svirak 1,* and Tomáš Urbánek 2 
1 Faculty of Management and Economics, Department of Management and Marketing, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Mostní 5139, Zlín 760 01, Czechia
2 Faculty of Management and Economics, Department of Management and Marketing, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Mostní 5139, Zlín 760 01, Czechia
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract: The popularity of social media is expanding, and so is the interaction between towns and residents. Municipalities in the Czech Republic rely heavily on Facebook as a direct communication medium with citizens. The main goal of this research is to assess the drivers of municipal social media engagement with citizens. To do so, we looked at 183 official Facebook sites of Czech municipalities with extended powers. We applied the first generational statistical techniques, specifically the correlation and regression analyses in delving into the nexus between the citizenry engagement on local government issues via facebook toward onward local government development. Our results indicated that indeed most local governments have a Facebook page with little activity and large municipalities dominated most social media activity. The study found out that Facebook activity, interactivity and mood are the factors driving citizen engagement on municipality social media pages.
Keywords: Czech Republic, Social Media, Municipality, Citizen Engagement, Communication Strategy
JEL classification: D83 - Search • Learning • Information and Knowledge • Communication • Belief • Unawareness
Received: 30 May 2022 / Revised: 22 March 2023 / Accepted: 14 April 2023 / Published: 8 May 2023
