Experienced Limitations of Social Media

While the expectations of Social Medias usage in CoSIE have been high – including reaching out, service data collection organising and dissemination of findings or innovative solutions – CoSIE project has illustrated that Social Media has mainly be employed for data collection and reaching out. Yet, CoSIE evidences that involving final beneficiaries of the services (also those who have some difficulties find alternative ways to reach them) may only to some extend be helped by using social media. While email has been a frequently used medium, and digital platforms like SLACK were employed in some cases (Spain), in many cases the involvement of users and even stakeholders required personal contacts, sometimes by power neutral intermediaries, often involved (participatory action) researchers, pedagogical tutors or (detached from cases) officials.

Regardless of limited use of ICT (social media) CoSIE pilots have overall achieved high involvement of public professionals, civil society organizations, universities, users/clients (in different ways and with different extent). All pilots involved final beneficiaries of their services (also those who have some difficulties find alternative ways to reach them)

• One major issue with reaching out users/citizens via social media was digital exclusion, especially notable with elderly or people with certain disabilities. In some cases enhancing their use of social media required extra resources and training (Poland), in others complementary channels of communication (telephone calls) had to be used (Sweden).
• Not all users are eager to expose themselves to social media groups due to vulnerability and low assurance of ethical behavior. Some individuals avoid social media due to increasingly common trolling. Trolling refers to malicious online behavior, which is intended to provoke interactional partners, lure them into fruitless argumentation and disrupt public discussion (Coles & West 2016).
• Service professional’s access to closed social media groups may be limited.

While the challenge of involving end users/beneficiaries in CoSIE pilots was partly resolved, mainly with little or no reliance of social media one of the main issues of accessibility to co-creation information platforms remained the service language used (in reaching out) and culture or attitudes of service professionals. There were difficulties in achieving a strong commitment of public professionals (depending on individual values and ideas, other priorities). With some exceptions, Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram proved more useful in disseminating information about co-creation activities than for receiving inspiration and feedback. Finish case with Luupi is a good exception.