IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i7p3508-d525610.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Engagement of Government Social Media on Facebook during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Macao

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Cheong-Iao Pang

    (Victoria University Business School, Victoria University, Melbourne 3000, Australia)

  • Qixin Cai

    (Institute of Social Security, School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China)

  • Wenjing Jiang

    (Department of Government and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao)

  • Kin Sun Chan

    (Department of Government and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao)

Abstract

Government social media is widely used for providing updates to and engaging with the public in the COVID-19 pandemic. While Facebook is one of the popular social media used by governments, there is only a scant of research on this platform. This paper aims to understand how government social media should be used and how its engagement changes in prodromal, acute and chronic stages of the pandemic. We collected 1664 posts and 10,805 comments from the Facebook pages of the Macao government from 1 January to 31 October 2020. Using word frequency and content analysis, the results suggest that the engagement was relatively low at the beginning and then surged in the acute stage, with a decreasing trend in the chronic stage. Information about public health measures maintained their engagement in all stages, whereas the engagement of other information was dropping over time. Government social media can be used for increasing vigilance and awareness in the prodromal stage; disseminating information and increasing transparency in the acute stage; and focusing on mental health support and recovery policies in the chronic stage. Additionally, it can be a tool for controlling rumors, providing regular updates and fostering community cohesion in public health crises.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Cheong-Iao Pang & Qixin Cai & Wenjing Jiang & Kin Sun Chan, 2021. "Engagement of Government Social Media on Facebook during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Macao," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3508-:d:525610
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3508/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3508/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Falco, Enzo & Kleinhans, Reinout, 2018. "Beyond technology: Identifying local government challenges for using digital platforms for citizen engagement," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 17-20.
    2. Yang Yang & Yingying Su, 2020. "Public Voice via Social Media: Role in Cooperative Governance during Public Health Emergency," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Mariana Cernicova-Buca & Adina Palea, 2021. "An Appraisal of Communication Practices Demonstrated by Romanian District Public Health Authorities at the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Wasim Ahmed & Josep Vidal-Alaball & Francesc Lopez Segui & Pedro A. Moreno-Sánchez, 2020. "A Social Network Analysis of Tweets Related to Masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-9, November.
    5. Ana Reyes-Menendez & Marisol B. Correia & Nelson Matos & Charlene Adap, 2020. "Understanding Online Consumer Behavior and eWOM Strategies for Sustainable Business Management in the Tourism Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-14, October.
    6. Panagiotopoulos, Panos & Barnett, Julie & Bigdeli, Alinaghi Ziaee & Sams, Steven, 2016. "Social media in emergency management: Twitter as a tool for communicating risks to the public," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 86-96.
    7. Xuehua Han & Juanle Wang & Min Zhang & Xiaojie Wang, 2020. "Using Social Media to Mine and Analyze Public Opinion Related to COVID-19 in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-22, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Huiyun Zhu & Kecheng Liu, 2021. "Capturing the Interplay between Risk Perception and Social Media Posting to Support Risk Response and Decision Making," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-14, May.
    2. Vasile Gherheș & Mariana Cernicova-Buca & Marcela Alina Fărcașiu, 2023. "Public Engagement with Romanian Government Social Media Accounts during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-22, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zvjezdana Gvozdanović & Nikolina Farčić & Hrvoje Šimić & Vikica Buljanović & Lea Gvozdanović & Sven Katalinić & Stana Pačarić & Domagoj Gvozdanović & Željka Dujmić & Blaženka Miškić & Ivana Barać & Na, 2021. "The Impact of Education, COVID-19 and Risk Factors on the Quality of Life in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-14, February.
    2. Andrea Laurent-Simpson, 2023. "COVID-19 and Masking Disparities: Qualitative Analysis of Trust on the CDC’s Facebook Page," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(12), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Panagiota Xanthopoulou, 2022. "Blockchain and the digital transformation of the public sector: The Greek experience," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 32(1), pages 558-570, June.
    4. Han, Chunjia & Yang, Mu & Piterou, Athena, 2021. "Do news media and citizens have the same agenda on COVID-19? an empirical comparison of twitter posts," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    5. Shuolin Geng & Qi Zhou & Mingjie Li & Dianxing Song & Yanjun Wen, 2021. "Spatial–temporal differences in disaster perception and response among new media users and the influence factors: a case study of the Shouguang Flood in Shandong province," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 105(2), pages 2241-2262, January.
    6. Christian M. Hafner, 2020. "The Spread of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Time and Space," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-13, May.
    7. Siqi Lai & Brian Deal, 2022. "Parks, Green Space, and Happiness: A Spatially Specific Sentiment Analysis Using Microblogs in Shanghai, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, December.
    8. Arora, Swapan Deep & Singh, Guninder Pal & Chakraborty, Anirban & Maity, Moutusy, 2022. "Polarization and social media: A systematic review and research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    9. Fernando Olivares-Delgado & Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez & María Teresa Benlloch-Osuna & Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa & Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado, 2020. "Resilience and Anti-Stress during COVID-19 Isolation in Spain: An Analysis through Audiovisual Spots," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-23, November.
    10. Ling Lin & Tao Shu & Han Yang & Jun Wang & Jixian Zhou & Yuxuan Wang, 2023. "Consumer-Perceived Risks and Sustainable Development of China’s Online Gaming Market: Analysis Based on Social Media Comments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-20, August.
    11. Hannan Amoozad Mahdiraji & Fatemeh Yaftiyan & Aliasghar Abbasi-Kamardi & Vahid Jafari-Sadeghi & Jean-Michel Sahut & Leo-Paul Dana, 2023. "A synthesis of boundary conditions with adopting digital platforms in SMEs: an intuitionistic multi-layer decision-making framework," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 1723-1751, October.
    12. Patrick Cheong-Iao Pang & Wenjing Jiang & Guanwen Pu & Kin-Sun Chan & Ying Lau, 2022. "Social Media Engagement in Two Governmental Schemes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Macao," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-12, July.
    13. Gabriel Brătucu & Andra Ioana Maria Tudor & Adriana Veronica Litră & Eliza Nichifor & Ioana Bianca Chițu & Tamara-Oana Brătucu, 2022. "Designing the Well-Being of Romanians by Achieving Mental Health with Digital Methods and Public Health Promotion," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-24, June.
    14. Christopher D. Wirz & Michael A. Xenos & Dominique Brossard & Dietram Scheufele & Jennifer H. Chung & Luisa Massarani, 2018. "Rethinking Social Amplification of Risk: Social Media and Zika in Three Languages," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(12), pages 2599-2624, December.
    15. Xiaolin Hu & Diyana Nawar Kasimon & Wan Anita Wan Abas, 2024. "Media Coverage of China During COVID-19: A Systematic Review," Studies in Media and Communication, Redfame publishing, vol. 12(2), pages 359-376, June.
    16. Gorgulu,Nisan & Sharafutdinova,Gulnaz & Steinbuks,Jevgenijs, 2020. "Political Dividends of Digital Participatory Governance : Evidence from Moscow Pothole Management," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9445, The World Bank.
    17. Haneem, Faizura & Kama, Nazri & Taskin, Nazim & Pauleen, David & Abu Bakar, Nur Azaliah, 2019. "Determinants of master data management adoption by local government organizations: An empirical study," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 25-43.
    18. Mihalis Giannakis & Rameshwar Dubey & Shishi Yan & Konstantina Spanaki & Thanos Papadopoulos, 2022. "Social media and sensemaking patterns in new product development: demystifying the customer sentiment," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 308(1), pages 145-175, January.
    19. Anne David & Tan Yigitcanlar & Rita Yi Man Li & Juan M. Corchado & Pauline Hope Cheong & Karen Mossberger & Rashid Mehmood, 2023. "Understanding Local Government Digital Technology Adoption Strategies: A PRISMA Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-43, June.
    20. Tracey L. O’Sullivan & Karen P. Phillips, 2019. "From SARS to pandemic influenza: the framing of high-risk populations," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 98(1), pages 103-117, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3508-:d:525610. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.