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.

Department

Public Policy & Administration Department

Degree Name

MA in Public Policy

Graduation Date

2-1-2015

Submission Date

February 2015

First Advisor

Ali, Hamid

Committee Member 1

Amin, Khalid

Committee Member 2

Ismail, Amani

Extent

93 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Library of Congress Subject Heading 1

Social media -- Egypt.

Library of Congress Subject Heading 2

Egypt -- Politics and government -- 21st century.

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

Comments

This Thesis would not have been possible without the guidance and the assistance of many beloved people who in one way or another contributed and extended their valuable assistance in the completion of this study. It is a pleasure to convey my gratitude to them all in my humble acknowledgment. First and foremost, praises and thanks to God, the Almighty, for his showers of blessings throughout my master’s studies and for giving me the strength to complete it. I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Dr Hamid Ali for his unconditiol support throughout my entire master’s studies and especially during the thesis process. I especially appreciate his willingness to give his valuable time so generously whenever it was needed. Dr Hamid has been very supportive and kind with me. I am honored to have Dr. Hamid as my thesis supervisor. I would also like to thank my thesis committee: Dr Amani Ismail and Dr Khaled Amin for their continuous guidance and encouragement. Their discussion, ideas, and feedback have been absolutely invaluable. For my husband, Ahmed, I find it difficult to express my appreciation because it is so boundless. Without his love and support this thesis would have taken longer to complete; without his sunny optimism, I would have been such a disappointed person. Thanks for sharing this entire journey with me. I am blessed to have you as my husband. I am also grateful to my Family for their love and encouragement. My father and mother (Soliman and glaa) have worked hard to get the best out of me. I can never thank them enough for all what they did for me. My lovely sisters (Engy and Yasmin) thanks for always being there whenever I need you. I would also like to express my deep appreciation to social media officials at the Ministry of Fince, Ministry of Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform, and Ministry of Supply and Interl Trade for their valuable information that added a lot to my thesis. Last, but not least, I am thankful to all my friends who have supported me and have given me valuable insights. Many thanks go in particular to Alyaa Hussein as she was always supportive and kind.

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