Public  Sector  Social  Media  Engagement:    Defining  &  Mi8ga8ng  Risks  in  a  Necessarily  

Risk  Averse  Context  

Amanda  Clarke  Trudeau  Scholar  

Oxford  Internet  Ins4tute    University  of  Oxford  

Governments  are  not  typically  innova5ve  

Not  because  governments  are  slow  

Or  lacking  in  dynamic,  crea5ve,  passionate  people  

Governments  are  not  typically  innova5ve  because  innova5on  entails  risk  taking,  and  governments  are  necessarily  risk  averse  

Governments  are  necessarily  risk  averse  for  two  reasons:  

1.  Profile  level  of  risk  failures  2.  Ownership  of  risk  failures  

But  every  decision  involves  some  risk;  complete  risk  avoidance  is  paralyzing  

When  do  governments  take  risks?  

Poten5al  benefits  outweigh  the  costs  of  risk  

and/or  

Achievable  strategies  sufficiently    mi8gate  the  risk  

To  jus8fy  social  media  engagement,  you  must:  

Illustrate  that  the  benefits  outweigh    the  costs  of  its  related  risks  

and/or  

Develop  achievable  strategies  to  sufficiently  mi5gate  the  risks  of  social  media  engagement  

The  poten5al  benefits  of  social  media  engagement  are  well  defined  

The  risks  and  the  strategies  that  reduce  the  risks  of  social  media  engagement  are  oMen  less  

clear  

Structure  of  Presenta8on  

1.  Iden5fy  and  evaluate  six  commonly  cited  risks  of  public  sector  social  media  engagement  

2.  Offer  strategies  to  address  these  risks,  drawing  on  established  best  prac5ces  in  public  sector  social  media  engagement  

Risk  1:    Social  Media  Exchanges  Give  Ci8zens  a  False  Sense  of  Control  over  Government  

To  mi4gate  this  risk:  

Manage  expecta5ons  

Provide  evidence  that  the  public’s  contribu5ons  are  considered  meaningfully  (which  means  actually  considering  their  contribu5ons  meaningfully)  

Risk  2:    Communica8on  via  social  media  cannot  be  managed  safely  

To  mi4gate  this  risk:  

Create  clear  and  accessible  guides  for  external  social  media  engagement,  and  ensure  both  civil  servants  and  the  public  understand  the  rules  of  engagement  

Employ  fair  and  transparent  modera5on  guidelines  to  focus  exchanges  (where  possible)  

Risk  3:    Social  media  engagement  undermines  the  security  of  government  data  and  technical  infrastructure  

To  mi4gate  this  risk:  

Draw  on  solu5ons  for  data  protec5on  at  work  in  private  sector,  and  in  other  government  contexts  

Risk  4:    The  high  costs  and  profile  of  public-­‐facing,  large-­‐scale  IT  projects  leave  no  room  for  failure  

To  mi4gate  this  risk:  

Avoid  custom-­‐built  plaVorms  

Where  custom-­‐built  is  necessary,  engage  the  open  source  soMware  community  

Start  small  and  scale  up  

Risk  5:    Social  media  engagement  casts  doubt  on  the  professionalism  and  neutrality  of  the  public  service  

To  mi4gate  this  risk:  

Emphasize  and  trust  civil  servants’  ability  to  uphold  their  du5es  in  these  new  contexts    

Avoid  overes5ma5ng  the  differences  between  offline  and  online  regula5on  of  behaviour  

Risk  6:    Social  media  engagement  opens    governments  up  to  highly  public  cri8cism  

To  mi4gate  this  risk:  

Promote  posi5ve,  construc5ve  exchanges  

Apply  fair  and  transparent  modera5on  policies  

Remember  that  aggressive  and  rude  individuals  are  rare,  and  that  overtly  non-­‐construc5ve  cri5cism  will  be  dismissed  by  many  members  of  the  public  

Four  Final  Points  

1.   Social  media  engagement  introduces  new  risks,  but  avoid  over-­‐es8ma8ng  the  differences  between  tradi8onal  offline  engagement  and  social  media  engagement  

-­‐  In  terms  of  the  public’s  expecta5ons  of  government  -­‐  In  terms  of  civil  servants’  abili5es  to  regulate  their  

behaviour  appropriately  

2.   Most  of  the  risks  can  be  mi8gated  with  social  media  engagement  policies  

-­‐  Draw  on  exis5ng  policies  where  applicable  -­‐  Borrow  from  work  completed  by  other  

governments  -­‐  Make  social  media  engagement  guidelines  clear  and  

accessible    

3.   Ul8mately,  governments  need  to  trust  civil  servants  and  the  public  to  engage  construc8vely  and  safely  

-­‐  Risk  mi5ga5on  is  in  their  hands,  and  depends  on  their  ability  to  engage  within  reasonable  bounds  

4.   Risk  mi8ga8on  strategies  are  not  enough  –  the  benefits  of  social  media  engagement  must  also  be  apparent  

To  jus8fy  social  media  engagement,  you  must:  

Illustrate  that  the  benefits  outweigh  the  costs  of  its  related  risks  

and/or  

Develop  achievable  strategies  to  sufficiently  mi5gate  the  risks  of  social  media  engagement  

4.   Risk  mi8ga8on  strategies  are  not  enough  –  the  benefits  of  social  media  engagement  must  also  be  apparent  

-­‐  The  best  evidence  comes  from  home  –  support  ini5a5ves  that  can  be  realized  under  current  policies,  and  adver5se  success  

-­‐  Risk  mi5ga5on  strategies  need  not  be  fully  developed  to  use  social  media  (this  is  likely  impossible  –  learn  as  you  go)  

Ques8ons?  Please  Contact  Me:  

Amanda  Clarke  

Trudeau  Scholar  Oxford  Internet  Ins4tute    University  of  Oxford  

Amanda.clarke@oii.ox.ac.uk  TwiCer:  @amanda.e.clarke