Predictor for local government social media use in Indonesia

Purpose: This study aims to test the impact of technological acceptance and trust toward e-government (TTEG), as well as perceived risk (PR) on the attitude toward using (AT) and the actual use (AU) of social media. This study also intends to examine the theoretical extension of the technology acceptance model by adding two variables, namely, TTEG and PR. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 125 social media officers (SMO) were asked to fill out the questionnaire. To analyze the data, the researcher used the partial least square method using WarpPLS 6.0. Findings: The findings of this study indicated that perceived ease of use (PEOU) has a positive and significant impact on perceived usefulness (PU). In addition, while PEOU, PU and TTEG influence AT significantly and positively, this research found that PR has no impact on AT. Furthermore, the authors also confirmed the positive and significant influence on AT, TTEG and AU. Meanwhile, PR has a significant and negative effect on AU. Research limitations/implications: This study first used non-probability sampling and as a consequence, that result could not be generalized. Another limitation is that this study used self-perceptual measures. Practical implications: The study found that PR and TTEG are essential factors for increasing the use of social media by local government. Therefore, policymakers must create regional regulations to reduce risk and increase the trust of SMO. In addition, this study found that technology acceptance also had an effect on increasing activity on social media. For this reason, training in the use of social media is needed for SMO to increase the quality of content produced and citizen engagement. Originality/value: Previous research has tried to look at the population’s characteristics, education levels, internet penetration and economic potential. Unfortunately, these studies did not highlight the capabilities of human resources, which in this case were the SMO. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.