87% of World Governments Have a Facebook Presence

Facebook has rapidly become an invaluable communication tool which many people rely on to keep in contact with relatives and forge key business relationships. It’s difficult to imagine the platform was originally set up to organize meetings between students at Harvard University. We live in an age where social media is arguably just as important as traditional news outlets which makes governments across the world try to engage with people on various platforms including Twitter, Facebook and more! Obviously, lots of this discourse between politicians and the electorate is heated as people vent their frustrations.

According to a new report released today by PR firm, Burson-Marsteller, 87 percent of 193 United Nation member countries have an official presence on Facebook. An excerpt from the study reads:

“Over the past eight years, Facebook has become the channel of choice for community engagement with world leaders,”

“Since then, a Facebook presence has become part and parcel of any social media political campaign and one of the best ways to engage with potential voters and citizens.”

This is an interesting development and showcases the influential nature of social media. Although, from my initial observations, Twitter’s more direct form of communication might become a new focus for governments to spread their campaign message. The way we all use media is changing, and reports from the public often provide a quicker indication of what’s transpiring. This doesn’t necessarily mean traditional news broadcasts will become obsolete, but there’s certainly a rise in community media. Typically, governments struggle to stay up to date with the latest technology and produce legislation based on outdated notions.

It seems they are hoping having a Facebook presence shows their understanding of the modern world and how ordinary people communicate. Overall, I’m not surprised by the findings, and I cannot help being suspicious of any official government presence on social media platforms.