Digital communication in Swiss cities: A closer look at the low adoption and usage of social media platforms in a technologically advanced and innovative country
Issue title: Social Media and Government
Guest editors: Rodrigo Sandoval-Almazan, Andrea Kavanaugh and J. Ignacio Criado
Affiliations: [a] Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium | [b] Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Vincent Mabillard, Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium. E-mail: vincent.mabillard@ulb.be.
Abstract: While a vast majority of local governments in Europe are communicating on social media, the situation differs in few states. Although Switzerland is often depicted as a technological advanced and innovative country, cities are still largely resisting the temptation to share information on social media platforms. In this study, we rely on a survey distributed to the communication managers of all cities over 10,000 inhabitants in Switzerland to uncover the reasons explaining this behavior. This approach is preferred to understand what motivates or prevents cities from communicating on social media, focusing mainly on perceptions of risks related to these platforms. Results indicate that some factors identified in the literature on public sector organizations slow down the social media adoption and usage at the local level; but interestingly, the conservative approach to social media preferred by numerous cities also plays a major role in explaining cities’ absence on these platforms.
Keywords: Social media, city communication, risk aversion, local government, Switzerland
