The massive adoption of social media and digital platforms by organisations and citizens has been affecting many social activities and the relationship between government and society. This dissemination increased information spread and interaction, facilitating governmental communication and service delivery. At the same time, potential negative impacts on the population increased the government’s concerns with the challenges of monitoring and regulating such platforms. Based on this context, the Track accepts papers with theoretical and practical contributions, new methods of analysis, case studies, and other perspectives related to the use of digital media by governments and society. This Track welcomes papers investigating the role of social media and digital platforms in enhancing and promoting government activities, including communication and engagement strategies and the use of social media data. It also invites studies on the operation of social media and digital platforms, such as algorithms mechanisms, filter bubbles, and their influence on democracy, social movements, and trust in governments. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the use of social media and digital platforms in public policies, such as education and health policies; adoption of social media and digital platforms to communicate and engage with society; regulation and initiatives to fight against misinformation, disinformation, and fake news; impacts of digital media on democracy and citizens’ rights; the use of digital media data for crisis and emergency management, such as geolocation and AI.
#1 - The rapid spread of online misinformation and its impact on the digital economy | Syed Shah (Digital Cooperation Organization, Saudi Arabia), Eleni Kapantai (International Hellenic University, Greece), Vassilios Peristeras (Council of the European Union, Belgium)
#2 - Streaming city councils' meetings on social media before, during and after the pandemic | Gonçalo Paiva Dias (University of Aveiro, Portugal)
#3 - Diagnosis of a digital ecosystem in a Brazilian public organization | Marcos Silva, Rejane Figueiredo, Edna Canedo (University of Brasilia, Brazil)
#4 - Exploring the functionalities and evaluation of the digital silver hub: a collaborative platform for innovative solutions in the silver economy | Sidra Azmat Butt, Ingrid Pappel, Dirk Draheim (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia)
