The Use of Social Networks in Achieving e-Democracy in the Arab Spring Countries

Abstract

Electronic democracy (e-democracy) is a way to engage citizens and politicians with their government through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) tools. Although the concept of e-democracy has been growing during the past years, few studies have examined how to achieve success of e-democracy via social networks. This research is answering the following question: How social networks support the local government decision making to enhance e-democracy? To answer the research question, a proposed model was introduced and a survey method was employed. Findings showed that governments could use social networks to facilitate awareness of information among citizens and support citizens in building their communities. Furthermore, social networks would help to facilitate deliberation among citizens. However, this should be supported with appropriate level of involvements from the government side in the discussion to provide support. Through this, governments could enhance their decision making.

Gamification and neuromarketing: A unified approach for improving user experience

“…Researchers have only rarely looked into how gamification's various parts relate to users' commitment to the experience (Abdelghaffar & Sameer, 2013). Competitive advantages in the long run can be bolstered through marketing activities that focus on creating, communicating, and delivering exceptional value to specific consumers.…”

“…Various purposes are served by civic engagement platforms and new technologies that enable government‐citizen communication (Abdelghaffar & Sameer, 2013). Many communities struggle to engage actively with online civic participation channels (Al‐Harbi & Alshumaimeri, 2016; Bista et al, 2014).…”

“…When considering the gamefic experience of the user which positively impacts the intrinsic motivation of the user, an example of a number of administrative purposes can be found by civic engagement platforms and new technologies that enable two‐way communication between government and citizens (Abdelghaffar & Sameer, 2013). The idea of gamifying civic participation platforms has not been developed either theoretically or practically (Al‐Harbi & Alshumaimeri, 2016; Bista et al, 2014).…”

Introduction to the Minitrack on Engaging Governance

“…Accordingly, we could argue that strategies for facilitating engagement in governance are available and often utilized. Nonetheless, public engagement often swings between the extremes of being nonexistent or being disruptive and unsustainable, as in the Arab Spring [8], Occupy Wall Street [9], and many city alteration movements [7]. Both the lack of citizen engagement and unsustainable engagement are to the detriment of governance and democratic practices.…”

Introduction to the Minitrack on Engaging Governance

“…Accordingly, we could argue that strategies for facilitating engagement in governance are available and often utilized. Nonetheless, public engagement often swings between the extremes of being nonexistent or disruptive and unsustainable, as the Arab Spring [9], occupy Wall Street [10], and many city alteration movements [8]. Both; the lack of citizen engagement and unsustainable engagement are to the detriment of governance and democratic practices.…”