Does Social Media and e-WOM Influence M-Government Services? A Citizen's Perspective from India

Abstract

In Web-4 technologies, Social media (SM) has emerged as a prominent tool for the government to interact and engage with citizens. It is also an effective channel for providing government services. However, for effective implementation and its success, it is critical to understand the citizens' perceptions towards the government's use of SM and its impact on mobile government (MG) adoption. Consequently, the study focuses on assessing the impact of SM influence and electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) on MG service parameters such as MG Awareness, MG Transparency, and MG Trust. The results of structural equation modelling revealed the significance of e-WOM on improving MG awareness and trust and SM Influence. Further, SM Influence had a direct impact only on MG Transparency. However, results revealed the importance of SM Influence and MG Transparency as a mediator for MG Trust. Besides, gender and age as moderators are investigated and discussed in detail.