Does Facebook penetration improve governance? A reflection on the World Governance Indicators of 185 countries
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-07-2021-0094 |
| Published date | 13 January 2023 |
| Date | 13 January 2023 |
| Pages | 1-14 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information policy |
| Author | Md. Manjur Morshed,Tanmoy Mazumder |
Does Facebook penetration improve
governance? A reflection on the World
Governance Indicators of 185 countries
Md. Manjur Morshed and Tanmoy Mazumder
Abstract
Purpose –Social media createsa public sphere, whichfunctions as the third wheel of governance. This
study aims to examine the relationship between Facebook penetration and the World Bank’s World
GovernanceIndicators.
Design/methodology/approach –First, a Pearson correlation was estimated between Facebook
penetration and governanceindicators. Second, ordinary least squares analysiswas used to examine a
varietyof additional economic and population factors,including Facebook penetration.In both instances,
the colinearityof the variables is examined.
Findings –The findings indicate that there is no conclusivecorrelation between Facebook penetration
and governance;however, the opposite is true for developing, emerging and least developedcountries,
though the relationshipis not uniform across regions. In addition,per capita gross domestic productand
population dynamics,specifically the proportion of the population aged 15–64,have a significantimpact
on governance measures.The colinearity of the variables suggests that governance is a broad concept,
and that thedirect correlation between Facebookpenetration and governance may be misleading.
Research limitations/implications –Future research should incorporate panel data from other social
media platforms, such as Twitterand Reddit, to better understand temporal factors and the relationship
betweensocial media penetration and governance.
Practical implications –This paper opens up new avenue for investigation on the impact of social
media on governance.
Social implications –This paper can contribute to the complexityof social media as means for voice
and accountability. In addition, the paper mentions how social media can be used more neutrally to
ensureexposure to diverse perspectives.
Originality/value –The growing importance of the internet and the popularity of social networking
websitesare generating a great deal of scholarly attention.To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is
almostno literature that links Facebook penetrationand governance. This paperintends to fill this void.
Keywords Social media, Public realm, Echo-chamber, Threshold effect, Correlation
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Social media has evolved into an integral part of governance. Due to technological
advancements, such as smartphones, affordable internet and user-friendliness, Facebook
has grown to be the world’s largest social media platform. As of the first quarter of 2021,
there were approximately 2.8billion monthly active Facebook users, and Facebook remains
the world’s most active social media platform (Kemp, 2021). Social media’s penetration,
particularly Facebook’s, has ramifications for government and governance. Several
implications have been identified, including social movement (Nazmul and Arefin, 2014),
online activism (Yang, 2009), political activism (Shaheen, 2008), political change (Attia
et al.,2011
;Marzouki et al.,2012), democracy promotion (Jha and Kodila-Tedika, 2020),
Md. Manjur Morshed and
Tanmoy Mazumder are
both based at Urban and
Regional Planning, Khulna
University of Engineering
and Technology, Khulna,
Bangladesh.
Received 28 July 2021
Revised 8 December 2021
7 March 2022
31 May 2022
Accepted 7 July 2022
Conflicts of interest/competing
interests: The authors declare
no conflict of interest.
Authors’ contributions: The first
author claims credit for idea
generation, writing and
processing the manuscript. The
second author was responsible
for data collection, analysis and
mapping.
DOI 10.1108/DPRG-07-2021-0094 VOL. 25 NO. 1 2023, pp. 1-14, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2398-5038 jDIGITAL POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE jPAGE 1
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