Kayla Schwoerer, assistant professor of Public Administration at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, has been awarded a Veni grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). With this funding, she will investigate how social media algorithms determine what government information citizens are shown and what that means for democracy.
How visible does the government remain online?
Governments are increasingly using social media to inform citizens about topics such as public services, elections, and emergencies. But the visibility of these posts largely depends on the algorithms of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. These algorithms are designed to drive engagement and interaction and determine which posts users do or do not see.
This presents governments with a dilemma. To reach their target audience, they may feel compelled to tailor their communication to what algorithms reward - for example, by using popular trends, humor, or emotional stories. At the same time, they must remain trustworthy, neutral, and transparent.
What is the impact on citizens?
Kayla Schwoerer is researching how governments deal with this tension and how citizens respond to different communication styles. She compares government communication in the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden. In doing so, she combines social media analyses with experiments to determine the role algorithms play in the relationship between government and citizens.
By comparing countries with different administrative cultures, she also aims to gain insight into whether some governments are better equipped to withstand the pressure of social media algorithms than others.
Practical guidelines for a digital government
The research shows that algorithms not only determine what information is visible but also increasingly influence the way governments communicate with citizens. As such, they play an important role in the functioning of democracy.
The findings are intended to help governments communicate more effectively online, without losing sight of democratic values such as transparency, accountability, and trust. Together with communication professionals, experts in digital technology, and government organizations, Schwoerer is also developing practical tools to support public organizations in communicating within an online environment that is increasingly driven by algorithms.
The Veni grant will enable Schwoerer to conduct fundamental research over the coming years into the influence of social media algorithms on public administration. The knowledge gained can help governments remain visible, reliable, and accessible in the digital society.