Utilization of Social Media Platforms for Local Government Engagements: An Empirical Study of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly

Social media use in local government has gained prominence in the last few years worldwide, but little research has been done concerning users’ needs and experiences. In addressing this gap, this paper aims at understanding social media use experiences in local government from the individual users in the metropolitan assembly’s viewpoint. As local government agencies implement social media tools at all levels, we tend to explore the motivations that entice individuals to use these services and how information sharing can moderate the intention to use and actual use. We built a social media utilization model based on the literature review and extended the Delone and Mcleans framework by adding other constructs existing in other studies as the theoretical framework. Using a quantitative approach to the study, structured online questions were distributed. The results of a survey of 360 respondents of Accra Metropolitan Assembly social media users in Ghana indicate that information quality, service quality, system quality, and Trust remain the crucial determinants of intention to use and actual usage. Our study spotlights the importance of understanding the dynamics by which users utilize social media platforms