The Citizen between Disbelief and Purpose: Trust and Social Media in Government

This research examines how citizen participation in local government social media relates to trust in public institutions. The study adopts a qualitative netnographic design, combining observation of government Facebook pages with interviews conducted with active citizens in urban regions of the Brazilian Amazon. This approach enables a deeper understanding of how online interactions reflect citizens’ perceptions of competence, benevolence, and integrity in local governments. The findings reveal distinct levels of participation and trust shaped by the communicative dynamics of social media, demonstrating how digital engagement practices influence citizens’ emotional connection and confidence in governmental actions. Overall, the study highlights the role of social media as both a technological and social space that mediates contemporary relationships between citizens and government.