Characterizing Government Social Media Research: Towards a Grounded Overview Model

As research on government social media continues to grow in quantity and scope, this area calls for mapping and systematization, in order to stimulate better-informed studies in the future. This paper draws on a comprehensive review of government social media literature in the e-government and Information Systems (IS) fields to identify research foci and gaps. We propose a research-grounded model that identifies the foci on context, user characteristics, user behaviour, design, management, and effects, and highlight the investigated relationships among them. Based on this analysis, we identify a four-point research agenda for future government social media research.