Potential barriers to the use of social media in the public sector: Lessons from Saudi Arabia

Social media platforms have transformed the way the public sectors connects and interacts with their citizens. Indeed, social media offers various benefits to the public sector. However, the use of social media is not free of risk. Risks that might arise due to the use of social media platforms in the public sector include privacy, security, and lack of control over the channel of communication. Because of such risks, the uptake of social media platforms is not as expected and this is more evident in developing countries as Saudi Arabia, which has unique cultural values. Hence, this qualitative research aims to realise the main barriers for the usage of social media platforms in the public sector of Saudi Arabia. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with the e-government executives and bureaucrats to collect relevant data. Following the TOE framework, this research organises these factors into three categories: environmental, organisational and technological.