Expanding Communication Channels between Government and the Citizenry: Role of Social Media

Social media are not just a great avenue for finding old friends or read gossips trending in the streets but also an incredible tool for expanding communication channel between citizen and government. The use of social media has brought revolutionary changes to our society irrespective of age, race and geographic boundary. The use of social media has provided room for marginalized voices to be heard by their government. However, there has been a delay by the government to deal with cases reported in social media. This paper explores the use of social media as a forum for promoting citizen engagement in different matters around their societies. The results show citizens interact positively with the posts published in social media. Politics, Government budget, Constitution and social issues are main agendas discussed in social media. The study also reports two cases, which triggered government action after appearing on the social media. In general the use of social media is promising for improved government accountability and transparency in Tanzania