THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT ENDORSEMENT IN PUBLIC ONLINE CAMPAIGNS: A STUDY OF THREE CRISES CASES THAT AFFECTED THE GULF REGION

Abstract

This study investigates the use of social media-based campaigns in the Gulf region and examines the extent to which government participation in such campaigns affects their outcomes. Three online public campaigns that affected Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over the last decade are selected for this research: the GCC Crisis of 2014, the Qatar Crisis of 2017, and the France Crisis of 2020. Using secondary data in the form of newspaper reports and published literature, this study found that in all three cases, social media platforms became the vehicles of either political propaganda, political consumerism, social movement, or a combination of these. However, not all campaigns had similar outcomes, thanks to government participation in/ endorsement of these campaigns. Ultimately, the findings revealed that the three studied online campaigns are unsuccessful in the long term, despite the endorsement or involvement of various governments.