Our group had two distinct questions this week:
1. How might uses and gratifications theory inform how eGovernment might best serve citizens?
For the first question we created a ‘Use’ and ‘Gratification’ matrix.
Use——> Gratification
Citizens file taxes online.——> Citizen gets tax return sooner.
Citizens access government info online.——> Quicker access to government documents and forms such as Driver’s Education manual.
Government distributes documents online.——> Less paper is used, cheaper, protects environment.
Citizens have direct communication with Government.——> Government is more responsive to citizens; Government can track external communications and receives feedback.
By looking at the matrix, we decided that both the Government and the Citizen benefit from the use of eGovernment. It’s a two way street where people receive information form their government as well as communicating their needs more efficiently, while the Government saves money and receives valuable feedback from the citizens.
The second question was slightly different from the first:
1. What social and cultural factors might shape eGovernment?
Our group discussed how the actual web portal may be tailored to specific cultural norms in an attempt to make that portal more friendly and accessible to each culture. For example, having a web portal in Spanish as well as English. The user experience rather than the information itself can infrom eGovernment.
[...] Kirk [...]