This article explores how parliaments are using social media, assessing the role this plays in public engagement. Relatively latecomers to the world of social media, parliaments have made considerable strides in the last couple of years with many now joining a platform that is still perceived as an unknown and vulnerable space for formal political institutions. We show that parliaments are using social media mainly to report parliamentary business, interacting with citizens only on the margins. We consider the extent to which this approach constitutes public engagement and explore the differences in strategy between parliamentary institutions. In our analysis we consider in particular the specificity of parliamentary institutions in their ability to use this type of tools effectively. We also reflect on the limitations and challenges these tools raise to an institution such as a parliament, namely in terms of engaging with the public. Our study includes an overview of social media accounts in parliaments across the world, being mainly based on a content analysis of a sample of Facebook and Twitter feeds from five European parliaments, supported by information drawn from elite interviews with senior parliamentary officials and representatives.

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A global Information society has developed. It is essential that Information principles and policies are adopted that protect economic and social advancement and cultural differences for all nations. Strategies to guide the development of policies at the international level could take a three-tiered approach. The top tier would include overarching global principles that govern accessibility and sharing of Information; interconnected telecommunications; and applicability and transferability of research in Information sciences, education and training. The second tier would address many of these concerns at the regional (i.e., European (EC), Asian (ASEAN) level. The third tier would consist of national policies governing Information activities within borders, and their relationships with those of other nations. A large number of issues will need to be addressed before workable policies can be put into place. These include Information technology development and use, transborder data flow, privacy and data protection, intellectual property, trade and the Information industry, government and private sector relationships, database access, libraries, scientific and technical Information, telecommunications, Standards, and education and training. Many of these issues carry with them legal concerns which, though necessary, may be more difficult in the international context. Policies called for here will be impacted by differences in economics, politics and culture in the various regions of the world: the developed and developing nations in North America and Europe, the Far East and Pacific Rim, and the lesser developed nations around the world.

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