Social media in government offices: usage and strategies Gal Yavetz and Noa Aharony Department of Information Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel Abstract Purpose – The current study seeks to present and examine the strategies, management and dissemination of information on social media platforms by Israeli government organizations and agencies. Design/methodology/approach – The article uses the “Case Study” approach, through semi-structured, in- depth interviews conducted with directors in charge of the use of social media in government departments. Findings – The findings indicate that government agencies tend to favor Facebook over other social network platforms, in order to reach the widest possible audience. They do this by adhering to the platform’s limitations, such as regularly using sponsored advertising to increase reach and visibility, and also by publishing visual content, such as videos and images, at the expense of text. In addition, the impact of respondents to adopt social media outweighs the use and importance awarded to traditional government websites. A clear preference is evident toward cultivating and strengthening existing information on social media at the expense of further developing official websites. Originality/value – Findings and conclusions from this type of research can help digital media directors and content editors in government agencies, to improve the quality of their content and improve the accessibility of the information they share online. In addition, the findings of the study strengthen the growing body of knowledge focused on the relationship between government ministries and social media. Keywords Government, Social media, Information transfer, Qualitative research Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction With the rise and development of social media, the accompanying technologies have been adopted by government organizations around the world toward creating better communication with their citizens, as well as improved inter-office communication (Lee and Kwak, 2012; Sivarajah et al., 2015). By taking advantage of the two-way interaction that exists on online social media, government agencies can improve their dissemination of information to citizens, reach new populations and increase transparency and responsiveness (Mergel, 2014). In light of this, government ministries must adopt new transparency approaches toward accessing government information, in order for this information to be passed on to citizens more successfully, with minimal bureaucratic barriers (Shahsavarani, 2014). Today, most government authorities and offices regularly use social media for routine communication or dialogue with citizens and have even adopted these platforms as their standard. In Israel, approximately 46 government offices and public authorities operate digital representation on at least one social network website, with most of them operating on more than one channel simultaneously. This study focuses on the methods and usage strategies of editors and digital executives in Israeli government departments, as well as on how they evaluate and perceive these activities concerning communication with citizens and other government agencies. 2. Literature review Social media offers many opportunities for governments to develop and strengthen their relationship with the community and citizens of their country, while also facing many challenges related to the rapid changes in this emerging environment (Sharif et al., 2015). Although research into the interaction between social media and government organizations Social media in government offices The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2050-3806.htm Received 10 November 2019 Revised 20 February 2020 Accepted 28 March 2020 Aslib Journal of Information Management © Emerald Publishing Limited 2050-3806 DOI 10.1108/AJIM-11-2019-0313