Navigating the Digital Beat: A Review of Social Media as a Public Engagement Tool in Policing

Purpose
This article explores the changing nature of social media use as a public engagement tool, by police services.

Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive review is conducted of academic studies from journals dedicated to the study of criminology and policing. Sources are identified from key academic databases and are analysed in relation to three decades (2000 to 2009, 2010 to 2019, and 2020 to present) to show how the use of social media has changed over time.

Findings
The way in which social media is used in policing has changed considerably over time. From initial enthusiasm it is found that there is growing scepticism in the use of social media as a public engagement tool. After an initial proliferation in use there is then increasing consolidation and control in response to concerns about reputational risk.

Research limitations/implications
The research highlights underlying dynamics of engagement and retrenchment which offer important insights for how we understand public engagement and value creation in policing and emergency services more generally. We draw on academic research from English-language academic journals which predominately include studies from the Anglosphere but we have endeavoured to include research from the broadest possible range of countries.

Practical implications
This study demonstrates how the police, and other public services, must respond to the growing use of social media by the public to maximise value creation whilst minimising the threats that come from potential value destruction.

Originality/value
This study is the first to comprehensively review the policing and criminology literature related to social media and to apply a public engagement lens to this analysis.