The use of social media by government agencies to spur civic engagement is still a rather new concept, one whose purpose seems to have gotten lost in the excitement of the use of new technology. As a result, there is not an abundance of research into how social media can be used to promote civic engagement.
This paper will attempt to reveal how agencies are using social media as well as try to pinpoint what agencies should be doing. As an example of current procedures in our area this paper will highlight some local government entities in Boyle County, Kentucky and what they currently have in place regarding use of social media by their agencies. As there appears to be very little direction on this matter, potential issues that can affect the use of social media by future administrators will also be reviewed.
","abstract_html":"<p>The use of social media by government agencies to spur civic engagement is still a rather new concept, one whose purpose seems to have gotten lost in the excitement of the use of new technology. As a result, there is not an abundance of research into how social media can be used to promote civic engagement.</p> <p>This paper will attempt to reveal how agencies are using social media as well as try to pinpoint what agencies should be doing. As an example of current procedures in our area this paper will highlight some local government entities in Boyle County, Kentucky and what they currently have in place regarding use of social media by their agencies. As there appears to be very little direction on this matter, potential issues that can affect the use of social media by future administrators will also be reviewed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cummings, Christina Anne"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Public Administration (MPA)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Government","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:47Z","subjects":["Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration","Social Media"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2017 Christina Anne Cummings"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/520","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cummings, Christina Anne"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Government"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Public Administration (MPA)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration","Social Media"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2017 Christina Anne Cummings"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/520"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The use of social media by government agencies to spur civic engagement is still a rather new concept, one whose purpose seems to have gotten lost in the excitement of the use of new technology. As a result, there is not an abundance of research into how social media can be used to promote civic engagement.
This paper will attempt to reveal how agencies are using social media as well as try to pinpoint what agencies should be doing. As an example of current procedures in our area this paper will highlight some local government entities in Boyle County, Kentucky and what they currently have in place regarding use of social media by their agencies. As there appears to be very little direction on this matter, potential issues that can affect the use of social media by future administrators will also be reviewed.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/PDF"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Engaging The Public Through Social Media"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Cummings, Christina Anne"],"dc:description.abstract":["The use of social media by government agencies to spur civic engagement is still a rather new concept, one whose purpose seems to have gotten lost in the excitement of the use of new technology. As a result, there is not an abundance of research into how social media can be used to promote civic engagement.
This paper will attempt to reveal how agencies are using social media as well as try to pinpoint what agencies should be doing. As an example of current procedures in our area this paper will highlight some local government entities in Boyle County, Kentucky and what they currently have in place regarding use of social media by their agencies. As there appears to be very little direction on this matter, potential issues that can affect the use of social media by future administrators will also be reviewed.
"],"dc:format":["application/PDF"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/520"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2017 Christina Anne Cummings"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration","Social Media"],"dc:title":["Engaging The Public Through Social Media"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Government"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Public Administration (MPA)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:47Z"}