Social media use in justice administration : disintermediation, conversation and collaboration

Abstract

Abstract: This article examines how social media are used in the administration of Justice and if they improve service quality. Based on three principles of open government-transparency, participation and collaboration—an analytical model is proposed applicable to interactive communication in the judicial branch, and the performance of the official profiles is recorded for the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts of five State Judicial Systems in the U.S. Although the courts adopt social media strategies with less hesitation, more attention is paid to the risks, and the digital relationship with citizens is mainly top-down for delivery information. This approach leads to a reflection about the extent to which online judiciary collaboration with citizens is possible, considering that its main purpose is to solve disputes. At the same time, it discusses if an integrated user-centric content policy might be appropriate for strengthening its service.