ABSTRACT
If public interaction with the government appears antiquated and unintuitive, citizens will not want to engage with the government.
Alan Rosenblatt Associate Director for Online Advocacy at
The Center For American Progress1
Governmental operations of all types are at a crossroads. Social media systems including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are facilitating not only the next great communications revolution, but also putting the final nails in the coffin of a cultural rebellion around how government should interact and lead its constituency. Meanwhile, most governmental organizations, including the overwhelming majority of emergency managers across all disciplines, continue to operate their organizations in a tight hierarchical structure that is designed to facilitate actions and decisions for local citizens and the broader constituencies without input or feedback in the process. This schism is expanding at an exponential rate as public expectations change related to when, where, and how government should operate.
