Who Leads Advocacy through Social Media in Japan? Evidence from the “Tsukuba Civic Activities Cyber-Square” Facebook Page

Abstract

Abstract:Although the importance of advocacy activities by civil society organizations (CSOs) in policy and decision-making procedures has been greatly emphasized in the literature of political science and social policy, we have relatively little understanding of the relevance and impact of the leading actors who structure the diverse networks and discourses through social media; further recognition is needed in both fields. The purpose of this study is to analyze civil society organizations at the local government level involved in advocacy activities through the use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Our study focuses on a specific Japanese Facebook community page-the "Tsukuba Civic Activities Cyber-Square"-aimed at enhancing civil society activities in Japan. This page is operated by the municipal government of Tsukuba, in collaboration with the University of Tsukuba and Intel Corporation. Our findings indicate that social networking services such as Facebook can provide civil society organizations with: (1) more political opportunities to advocate; (2) more chances to connect with the local government; and (3) create opportunities to exert greater presence, despite their limited financial and political resources.

Meta-Cognition of Efficacy and Social Media Usage among Japanese Civil Society Organizations

“…Although we will not go further to determine any causality, we can argue that political efficacy and political participation are mutually higher among the organizations that use social media. Okura and Kaigo's study [28] illustrates how a Facebook community page is operated by a local government (the Tsukuba Civic Activities Cyber Square). Through the operations of social media, promotion opportunities can be increased through creating a large cyber presence even with limited resources.…”

The Necessity of Digital Citizenship and Participation

“…In our paper "Who Leads Advocacy through Social Media in Japan? Evidence from the "Tsukuba Civic Activities Cyber-Square" Facebook Page" [4], my co-author Sae Okura and I found usage of social networking services by civil society organizations can lead to: (1) more political opportunities to advocate; (2) more chances to connect with the local government; and (3) more opportunities to exert greater presence.…”