What determinants influence citizens' engagement with mobile government social media during emergencies? A net valence model

Abstract

Citizens proactively engage in public deliberation during emergencies, which is pivotal for the success of emergency management. Drawing on the net valence model, the current manuscript investigates the antecedents for citizens' engagement in mobile government social media during emergencies. Using an online payment survey service provider, data were acquired from 740 subscribers to mobile government social media in mainland China. The research findings show that source credibility and perceived transparency, but not mobility, increased perceived benefits, which further increased citizens' engagement during emergencies. The findings also demonstrate that privacy risk and perceived Internet censorship increased perceived risk; however, perceived risk did not affect citizens' engagement during emergencies. These findings can inform future research on public participation with mobile government social media in emergencies and provide insights for emergency management practitioners.