ABSTRACT
Social media now offers multiple parties inside and outside politics (e.g., teachers) the opportunity to start bottom-up initiatives and to use their online acquired social capital to exert real influence on policy processes. This development has multiple implications, because it is becoming increasingly difficult for governments to steer the information and design of (educational) policy processes in traditional ways. Previously established roles and steering mechanisms can be questioned, and the government has to consider assuming a different role, such as that of a networked government, in which forms of network governance are used. However, there is a lack of empirical research in this area. This raises the following question: What are the underlying communication processes when an educational policy is discussed through social media involving different networks of actors in the management of education?
In November 2014, the Dutch State Secretary Sander Dekker initiated a national dialogue on the future curriculum for primary and secondary education in various social media. This research investigates the nature of the associated dialogue on Twitter, in particular the way in which actors were possibly able to exert influence on the discussion. In this context, we build on social capital theory and use a mixed method approach, utilizing (1) social network analysis, (2) bibliometric analysis, and (3) qualitative interview analysis. Our results suggest that Twitter contributes to (individuals’) social capital formation. Furthermore, employing an MMSNA approach can be very useful for policymakers, as it highlights how more dynamic, fluid policy processes could be supported and influenced by discussions among stakeholders (e.g., teachers and educational professionals) within social media platforms.
