RT Article
T1 Police-community engagement and the affordances and constraints of social media
JF Policing and society
VO 31
IS 4
SP 373
OP 385
A1 Bullock, Karen
A2 Garland, Jon
A2 Coupar, Freya
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/175768560X
AB This article provides an analysis of the ‘affordances’ and ‘constraints’ of technology-mediated police-community engagement in the United Kingdom (UK). Whilst there has been optimism that social media may transform police communicative practice and help democratise policing, studies suggest that this potential has yet to be realised. Drawing on in-depth interviews with communications professionals, the article demonstrates that social media may afford constabularies visibility, editability, and association. However, organisational, individual and technological factors influence whether these affordances are achieved. This article adds to the literature by demonstrating how citizen engagement with mediated communication is not inevitable. It is instead a product of what the technology affords, the relationship between the technology and its users, and the context within which it is used.
K1 constraints
K1 affordances
K1 Engagement
K1 Social Media
DO 10.1080/10439463.2020.1831498