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Youth IDEAS: Improving governance

Improving Governance by Maximizing Social Media’s Effectiveness

Social media is generally considered a flexible tool for disseminating government information and facilitating interaction with the public. This report explored views of Hong Kong government’s success in this sphere.

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In early 2020, an estimated 2.95 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost 3.43 billion by 2023. In Hong Kong, there are currently 5.8 million active social media users, representing around 78% of the population. The three most popular social media platforms are Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp. The 2008 Policy Address mentioned the intention of developing online media platforms for proactive collection of public opinion. Indeed, the Hong Kong SAR Government (HKSARG) has used social media during a period of rapid and significant change so it is timely to review its performance and explore ways in which social media could enable better governance.

Key points from respondents

1,028 responses were collected and a large majority had found HKSARG information via social media. This majority (952) were asked about the HKSARG’s overall performance: ● 69.2% thought that

HKSARG had persisted in disseminating information on social media but that interactivity was lacking. ● 77.0% said the HKSARG posts on social media were not attractive enough.

Report No. No.49 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S. Governance group

Published title Improving Governance by Maximising Social Media Effectiveness

Respondents 1,028 HKFYG members aged 15-34 Four experts or academics were also interviewed.

Date February and March 2020

More details [in Chinese] yrc.hkfyg.org. hk/2020/04/28/yi049/

Low ratings were given by this group for:

● explaining policies: 2.35 ● providing platforms for public engagement: 2.09 ● dealing with emergencies: 2.03 ● clarifying misinformation: 1.97 ● building HKSARG’s public image: 1.68 ● grasping public sentiment: 1.53 [On a 0-10 scale. 5 indicates the equivalent of a pass mark.]

All 1,028 respondents were then asked what their main expectation was when using social media to connect to the HKSARG. 29.3%, the largest proportion, said that they expected to get a response. On the other hand, 39.4% believed they might understand official decision-making better if social media were used more effectively. 29.2% said this would also encourage them to express more opinions.

Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members Angus Wong, group deputy convener “Although the HKSARG began using social media a decade ago, it lacks a comprehensive strategy. Furthermore, its social media posts tend to elicit negative rather than positive comment. We therefore recommend a review with the aim of maximizing effectiveness.”

Ray Poon, group member “The discontinued one-stop information platform which provided the names of all bureaus, departments and agencies with social media accounts should be reinstated. There is an increasing number of such accounts and all relevant links and logos that enable easy access by the public should be available.” Rita Chan, group member “Young people are the main users of social media and so we recommend the provision of more posts or the replacement of existing posts with jobs for talented youth who can help to manage HKSARG social media accounts.”

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