SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY IN EGYPT: CASE STUDIES OF THREE MINISTRIES
ABSTRACT
The
use of social media tools in Egyptian government, while still relatively new,
is gaining acceptance at all levels of government which is widely reflected in
the number of social media pages for Egyptian ministries. By logging on
Facebook or Twitter you can follow most of Egyptian ministries updated releases
and news. Yet, it is still not clear how Egyptian government is regulating public
employees’ use of such interactive platforms. The purpose of this study is to answer
the main research questions: What are the key elements of a
social media policy? How Egyptian
ministries are using social media? How Egyptian
ministries are managing their social media pages? What challenges are Egyptian
ministries encountering as they use social media? To achieve this purpose, the methodology adopted in this study
include a review of literature, analysis of existing social media policies in
different countries, and interviews with social media officials in a purposive non-
random sample of Egyptian Ministries to examine their policies regarding social
media use. The sample includes the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning,
Monitoring and Administrative Reform, and the Ministry of Supply and Internal
Trade, as they represent Egyptian ministries from different levels; sovereign, economic
and service ministries. The study findings indicate that the
Egyptian government lacks having social media policies that regulate the use of
social media. After interviewing social media officials in different Egyptian
ministries, it has been concluded that there are no concrete written policies
that monitor and regulate public employees' usage of social media. Finally, this
thesis recommends a social media policy guide for Egyptian government that will
assist in setting guidelines that regulate their use of social media.
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