Genres of online COVID-19 information and government information culture: A comparative case study

Abstract

Information culture is a cultural phenomenon manifested in the organization's values, norms and practices that influence information management and use in the organization. Few studies have explored the relationship between information culture and the application of genres of online government information. This study offers a comparative case study of two provincial governments in China. The findings showed that the genres of the online COVID-19 information disclosed by the two local governments reflect different types of information cultures. In governance-oriented culture, information is regarded as an important tool to actualize good governance and the genres most appropriate for online information dissemination would be adopted to meet citizens' information needs. This kind of information culture is likely to enhance citizens' trust in government and be beneficial for government crisis management and good governance. While, in government-oriented culture, information is regarded as a tool to actualize governmental interest. This kind of information culture poses a risk for government in achieving the goal of building trust between the public and government. The value of this study lies in filling the research gap in the relationship between genre and information culture and providing pragmatic insights for local governments to enhance information disclosure by adopting appropriate genres and cultivating governance-oriented culture.