Local government use of social media on sustainable urban mobility: the case of Vilnius municipality
ENWhile global motorization and car dependency in urbanized areas cause an environmental impact on nature, governmental institutions are responsible for raising awareness on sustainable mobility solutions. The overall purpose of the following research is to investigate how social media are being used or as well underused by the local government to communicate the topic of sustainable urban mobility for the local city inhabitants. By case-studying the official Facebook page of Vilnius municipality, the mixed research analysis was conducted on the published online content and initial public reaction and engagement to it. Research showed that social media was used as a platform for primarily informing citizens on public transportation services, road infrastructure and encouraging visits to public lectures on sustainable mobility. To a lesser extent, the messages of published content further consisted of requesting essential information from citizens on their use of urban mobility transportation, as well as educating citizens on the importance of minimizing car-use, thus increasing their awareness of sustainable car usage. In the end, it is suggested that local governments can efficiently use social media for communicating messages on sustainable mobility, however, citizens reactions may differ on their initial engagement levels. Keywords: government public relations, social media, sustainability, urban mobility, Facebook, case study.
