The Role of the Spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency's Facebook Page in Shaping Public Awareness of Social Issues
Introduction
The number of users of social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and others), or as they are called "social media," in Egypt has reached approximately 50 million users, according to a report issued in January 2019 by the global website "We Are Social," which specializes in monitoring the number of social media users around the world.
Following the January 25 Revolution, all Egyptian state institutions (ministries, agencies, foundations, governorates, local councils, and others) began creating accounts on these platforms, particularly Facebook, which is used by nearly 40 million Egyptians, according to a Crowd Analyzer report tracking the number of social media users in 2019.
Many Arab countries have recently turned to these modern tools—social media—to gauge their citizens' reactions to their policies and performance, whether positive, seeking to further satisfy their citizens, or negative, seeking to tweak their policies and correct mistakes to satisfy their citizens. Arab governments have also relied on these modern tools as a tool to gauge the public's pulse on all societal issues (political, economic, social, sports, and other).
Among these countries is the Arab Republic of Egypt, which has recently relied on these modern methods to gauge the Egyptian public's pulse on various issues within society, monitor all citizens' problems, and work to resolve them through various means. It also communicates with citizens more quickly, keeping pace with current technological developments, disseminating its news and announcing its activities. This helps achieve transparency in communicating with citizens about issues raised within Egyptian society and refuting any attempts to spread rumors that could stir up confusion within Egyptian society.
Study Problem:
The Facebook page of the Spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency (*) is considered one of the most important pages of Egyptian government institutions, especially after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi assumed power in 2014. This page witnessed a significant boom in publishing all of President el-Sisi's activities, including domestic and foreign visits, political, economic, social, sports, and artistic decisions, and everything related to Egyptian state affairs. It also includes national presidential initiatives such as (Decent Life, 100 Million Health, the National Campaign to Eradicate Hepatitis C, and others). The research problem focused on revealing the role of the Facebook page of the Spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency in shaping public awareness of societal issues. This research focuses on the nature of the page's content, the format of its posts, the persuasive methods used, the speed and updating of posting, and the extent to which it utilizes digital media technology in its posts, such as videos, infographics, and others.
Importance of the Study:
The importance of the study lies in the following points:
- The scarcity of Arab studies that address the study of the Facebook page of the Spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency, which has witnessed significant development since President Sisi assumed power in 2014. This is in an attempt to gain citizens' trust, utilize a new media outlet that is fast and widely used among all segments of Egyptian society, and reveal the extent of citizens' satisfaction with the presidency's performance on all societal issues.
- Taking advantage of the significant technological developments Egypt is witnessing, particularly on social media, which are widely used among all segments of Egyptian society.
- Utilizing the features of the social networking site Facebook, including its support for uploading photos, videos, and comments, to communicate with citizens effectively and quickly, and to understand citizens' reactions to the government's performance in general or to a specific issue in particular.
- Assisting the Presidency in identifying citizens' reactions to issues that stir Egyptian public opinion, as well as identifying issues that the Egyptian public is interested in following, both domestically and internationally.
- Utilizing the results of the analytical study to identify the relationship between the Presidential Spokesperson's Facebook page and the Egyptian public's awareness of social issues.
Study Objectives:
The primary objective of the study was to identify the role of the Facebook page of the Spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency in shaping public awareness of societal issues.
Several sub-objectives emerge from this primary objective, namely:
- Identify the types of issues in the content of the study sample page.
- Identify the status of the issues published in the content of the study sample page, their purpose, and the style of presentation.
- Identify the language used in writing the content of the study sample page and its target audience.
- Identify the purpose of publishing the content on the study sample page.
- Identify the values in the content published on the study sample page.
- Identify the sources used in writing the content on the study sample page.
- Monitor the uses used in writing the content of the study sample page.
- Identify the form of the content published on the study sample page.
- Identify the frequency of writing content on the study sample page, its size, and the methods of interacting with it.
Theoretical Framework:
The study relied on the "media dependency" theory, which attempts to understand the relationship between the media and the public. It addressed the research problem using previous studies that discussed dependency on Facebook, studies that addressed Facebook audiences, and studies that addressed alternative media.
Procedural Framework:
Type and Methodology of Study: The study is considered a descriptive study, aiming to examine the relationship between the Presidential Spokesperson's Facebook page and public awareness of societal issues. The study relies on a survey approach by conducting an analytical study of the page's content.
Data Collection Tools: Content Analysis: A content analysis tool was used to analyze the content of the Presidential Spokesperson's Facebook page.
Sample for the Analytical Study: The Facebook page of the Official Spokesperson for the Presidential Republic during 2021.
Study Results:
The study analyzed all content published on the Presidential Spokesperson's Facebook page from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, using a content analysis form to achieve the objectives of the analytical study.
1. Type of issue in the publication:
Political issues ranked first, accounting for 58.3% of the study sample, which totaled 841 publications throughout the study period. Development issues ranked second, accounting for 27.7%, followed by social issues, which accounted for 7.3%, sports issues, which accounted for 3.3%, historical issues, which accounted for 1.8%, religious issues, which accounted for 1.3%, legal issues, which accounted for 0.95%, and economic issues, which accounted for 0.7%.
2. Status of the issue in the publication:
Emergency issues ranked first, accounting for 96% of the study sample, which totaled 841 publications throughout the study period. Ongoing issues ranked second, accounting for 3.8%, and decisions, which accounted for 0.11%.
3. The purpose of publishing the issue:
The objective of providing information ranked first, accounting for 51.2% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period. The objective of shaping attitudes ranked second, accounting for 47.8%, and the objective of expressing an opinion ranked third, accounting for 1.6%.
4. The method of presenting the issue:
The positive method of presenting the issue ranked first, accounting for 63.13% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period. The balanced method ranked second, accounting for 36.86%.
5. The type of language used in the publication:
Arabic ranked first, accounting for 99.88% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period. German ranked second, accounting for 0.11%.
6. Post Target Audience:
The general public ranked first among the target audiences, accounting for 90.2% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period, while the private audience ranked second, accounting for 9.7%.
7. Post Objective:
The purpose of informing and reporting ranked first, accounting for 57.6% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period. The purpose of guiding public opinion ranked second, accounting for 39.3%. The purpose of appreciation or recognition ranked third, accounting for 2.02%, followed by education and awareness, accounting for 1.18%.
8. Values in the publication:
National values ranked first, accounting for 61.3% of the study sample, which totaled 841 publications throughout the study period. Developmental values ranked second, accounting for 25.3%, social values third, accounting for 8.7%, and historical values fourth, accounting for 0.71%.
9. Sources within the publication:
A statement from the institution ranked first, accounting for 94.2% of the study sample, which totaled 841 publications throughout the study period. A video source from the institution ranked second, accounting for 5.5%, and a graphic source third, accounting for 0.11%.
10. Post formats:
Emotional appeal, evoking feelings of patriotism, ranked first with 57.9% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period. Rational appeal, providing evidence, ranked second with 32.6%. Emotional appeal, evoking social responsibility, ranked third with 11.8%. Health appeal, evoking values, ranked second with 0.59%, and religious appeal, evoking values, ranked third with 0.11%.
11. Post format:
The (text + image) format ranked first with 53.6% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period. The (text + photo album) format ranked second with 23.6%. The (text + video) format ranked third with 1.3%, and the (text + video) format ranked third with 0.02%. 12. Posting Rate:
The official spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic's page was characterized by regular posting throughout the study period (full year - 2021). There were days when more than one post was published, with various formats and terms.
13. Post Size:
Posts with a length of more than 100 words ranked first, representing 69.5% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period. Posts with a length of 50 to 100 words ranked second, representing 16.6%, while posts with a length of less than 50 words ranked third, representing 13.7%.
14. Post Liking and Sharing:
Liking and sharing less than 1,000 posts (likes and shares) ranked first, accounting for 45.4% of the study sample, which totaled 841 posts throughout the study period. Likes and sharing over 10,000 posts (likes and shares) ranked second, accounting for 34%, while likes and sharing between 5,000 and 10,000 posts (likes and shares) ranked third, accounting for 21.8%.
Notes on the Analytical Study:
- During the study period, the page was characterized by continuous updating and publishing content (text posts, photos, and videos) daily, sometimes more than once a day, depending on the nature of the event. These included President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's visits to roads being constructed around Greater Cairo to eliminate traffic congestion and facilitate smooth flow of traffic within the region.
- During the study period, the page featured numerous field videos of the President, as well as exclusive and private photos of the President during his COVID-19 response meeting, and numerous other events, including meetings with kings, heads of state, foreign ambassadors, and others.
- The page published a press interview conducted by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in German with a major German magazine. It was published as an image (attached), demonstrating the page's interest in publishing the President's activities, events, and international dialogues, as well as addressing Egyptian, Arab, regional, and international issues.
Recommendations:
From the summary of the analytical study of the Presidential Spokesperson's page, the researcher reached several recommendations or suggestions that may help develop the page in the future, as follows:
First: Content Recommendations:
- Address community issues in a more in-depth analytical manner, presenting all angles of the issue to achieve objectivity.
- Promptly publish official statements to prevent the spread of rumors, especially during times of crisis or important public issues.
- Allow comments on posts and allow followers to freely express their views.
- Continuously update the page to increase followers' trust.
- Take into account followers' comments and respond to their inquiries promptly.
- Conduct opinion polls on the page to measure public satisfaction on a timely basis.
Second: Recommendations for format and management:
- • Optimize the use of social media tools and technologies, especially video graphics and infographics.
- • Increase interaction between page admins and followers by responding to their comments and inquiries.
- • Use video more extensively to enhance the credibility of the page's content.
- • Use the live broadcast feature to cover any page event to increase interaction and credibility.
- • Standardize the use of banners, which helps create a visual identity for the page, including the organization's logo.
- • Use high-quality images and videos to increase follower engagement.
- • Treat the page as the future media outlet, not simply a page to keep pace with digital developments.
- • Allocate a fully qualified and experienced team to work on the page, managing it around the clock, especially during crises and emergencies.