Does social media promote the public’s perception of the police: Survey results on trust cultivation

Abstract

Police departments use social media to inform the local community. Additionally, police share selfpromotional information to enhance the public's perception of law enforcement. Research using cultivation theory shows that reliance on a media source such as television cultivates viewer perceptions of a subject. We apply cultivation theory to this interactive medium to test whether viewing and responding to social media messages increases followers' satisfaction with the police. Surveys administered online to the followers of four police departments show that followers who view and respond to police posts more frequently are also inclined to be more satisfied with the police. Minorities are less satisfied with police than whites, but not significantly so. Finally, followers who like (dislike) police self-promotion are more (less) satisfied with police. The findings provide partial support for applying cultivation theory to the social media setting and suggest that police use of social media can help achieve community policing goals.

Does government social media promote users' information security behavior towards COVID-19 scams? Cultivation effects and protective motivations

“…In other words, when people are conscious of the attributes of such countermeasures, they feel more efficacious in employing them and deem that the countermeasures can decrease the harms of COVID-19 scams ( Tu et al, 2015 ). This finding is consistent with Williams and Fedorowicz (2019) , who argue that GSM follower's attitudes and perceptions are influenced by viewing, commenting, and sharing messages created by GSM.…”

“…A government social media account (GSM) is an online profile created and managed by a government agency on social media. Governmental agencies use GSMs to better provide information and services, and helps foster closer relationships with citizens ( Bertot, Jaeger, & Hansen, 2012 ; Guo et al, 2020 ; Li, Yang, Chen, & Yao, 2018 ; Tang, Chen, Zhou, Warkentin, & Gillenson, 2019 ; Williams & Fedorowicz, 2019 ). In recent years, the use of social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Weibo, WeChat) by government and supranational entities (e.g., UN and WHO) for crisis communications (e.g., natural disasters, weather events, and criminal/terroristic events) has increased ( Chen et al, 2020 ; Guo et al, 2020 ; Kaewkitipong et al, 2016 ; Liu & Xu, 2018 ).…”

“…Researchers have also begun to consider GSM as a cultivation medium. By surveying followers of four U.S. police departments' Facebook and Twitter accounts, Williams and Fedorowicz (2019) find that people who often view and comment on police posts are inclined to be more satisfied with their local police department.…”

“…” In this study, we define information security behavior as peoples' actions they take to migrate information security threats ( Boss, Galletta, Lowry, Moody, & Polak, 2015 ; Tu, Turel, Yuan, & Archer, 2015 ). We define GSM participation as GSM followers' viewing, commenting, and sharing messages created by GSM ( Guo et al, 2020 ; Williams & Fedorowicz, 2019 ).…”

The Impact of Social Media on Climate Change Perceptions: A Case Study of Indonesian Gen-Z

“…According to the theory's premise, television and media have a small but significant effect on how society's perceptions and attitudes form. When people are exposed to the media frequently, their view of the "real world" reflects what they see, altering their actual reality into what they call "media reality" [6]. Despite its focus on television, the theory is still relevant to the new media, social media in particular.…”