Policy and Social Media
Departments: Korean Consumer & Society
Social Media’s Impact on Policy Making
(Age) 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-49 50-59 60 and above
Source: National Election Commission (Aug 3, 2010). Press Release: “Analysis of Voting Rates in the 5th Nationwide Local Elections.”
October 2011 | SERI Quarterly | 125
Social Media’s Impact on Policy Making
has also become a potential solution for Korea’s government to improve operations and address numerous issues. According to the 2011 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, Korea ranked 22nd to 30th in performance indicators like “effective implementation” and “transparency” of government policy. Embracing social media can spur improvements in these areas by providing a fast and low cost way for governments to disseminate policy information, attain public feedback, and communicate with citizens. At the same time, social media comes with caveats for governments, as its open nature allows a single misstep to spread and multiply at rapid speed. This paper accordingly looks at social media’s impact on government policy making, and the likely government responses that can both leverage its advantages and minimize its uncertainties.
lar have made it increasingly important in today’s policy making arsenal. First, social media provides access to a broader range of opinions and issues than traditional media, and this access is nearly instantaneous. Micro-blogs like Twitter and Me2day and the increased uptake of sophisticated mobile devices allow anyone to publicly express their opinion by simply sending a brief message. Social media can also uncover issues that would be overlooked or ignored by more traditional means of gauging public opinion. Twitter users in Korea, for example, initiated a campaign to save a Korean underwater diving instructor who was falsely accused of murder in Honduras. In November 2010, as a result of the campaign the instructor was found innocent and acquitted. Second, social media has stronger
Social Media’s Impact on Policy Making
(Age) 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-49 50-59 60 and above
Source: National Election Commission (Aug 3, 2010). Press Release: “Analysis of Voting Rates in the 5th Nationwide Local Elections.”
October 2011 | SERI Quarterly | 125
Social Media’s Impact on Policy Making
has also become a potential solution for Korea’s government to improve operations and address numerous issues. According to the 2011 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, Korea ranked 22nd to 30th in performance indicators like “effective implementation” and “transparency” of government policy. Embracing social media can spur improvements in these areas by providing a fast and low cost way for governments to disseminate policy information, attain public feedback, and communicate with citizens. At the same time, social media comes with caveats for governments, as its open nature allows a single misstep to spread and multiply at rapid speed. This paper accordingly looks at social media’s impact on government policy making, and the likely government responses that can both leverage its advantages and minimize its uncertainties.
lar have made it increasingly important in today’s policy making arsenal. First, social media provides access to a broader range of opinions and issues than traditional media, and this access is nearly instantaneous. Micro-blogs like Twitter and Me2day and the increased uptake of sophisticated mobile devices allow anyone to publicly express their opinion by simply sending a brief message. Social media can also uncover issues that would be overlooked or ignored by more traditional means of gauging public opinion. Twitter users in Korea, for example, initiated a campaign to save a Korean underwater diving instructor who was falsely accused of murder in Honduras. In November 2010, as a result of the campaign the instructor was found innocent and acquitted. Second, social media has stronger