Government–citizen interactions using web 2.0 tools: The case of twitter in Mexico

Abstract

Web 2.0 tools and applications encourage citizens to interact with government and they provide tools for government to communicate, collaborate, and engage with citizens. The distinguishing characteristics of some of these tools provide unusual opportunities for citizen participation in government decision-making and exercising influence on diverse policy domains. However, there is limited research on the role of specific tools and applications in government–citizen interactions. In fact, there are relatively few studies that attempt to understand how governments and citizens are using these tools to interact with one other. Based on three powerful stories from Mexico, this chapter focuses on one of these tools: Twitter. It analyzes both citizen and government use of this application, provides practical recommendations, and suggestions for future research about this topic.