The Role of Social Media in Institutional Communication. Case Study: The Facebook Page of Constanţa City Hall

In this research paper I chose to make a detailed analysis of the role of Social Media in institutional communication, focusing in the case study on observing the Facebook page of Constanta City Hall, this page being an important means of communication with citizens of the public institution concerned. In other words, I chose this topic because I consider extremely important the public relations department within a public institution, such as Constanta City Hall, after completing undergraduate studies applying for a position in this field being a main option for me. The main objective of the paper was to analyze institutional communication in its various forms, but especially the external communication of public institutions, the way of transmitting information from them to citizens being a very important aspect in terms of proper functioning of public administration.

The existential objective results from the fact that any institution, which performs judiciously ordered actions of institutional communication, creates the necessary legal-moral premises for its efficient functioning. Referring first of all to the implementation of the institutional culture, to create a psychological-professional climate conducive to the cooperation of its subdivisions, staff and leaders. Secondly, any company, which assumes the concern for its own existence, tends towards a certain comfort in the connections and discussions with its partners, its clients, the legislative circles that determine the normative framework. The institution is also interested in the attitude of approving its activity from the community where it operates (Tasenţe, 2019).
The presented objectives dictate a certain communicative behavior. Pascale Well reveals in this sense four types of institutional discourses (Drăgan, 1996.): 1. The discourse of the relationship -the strategy represented by the alloy of those already performed. The institution in this case notes the authority, the prestige, and also the benefit of the person to whom the message is addressed. Such behavior is estimated to be the most effective and advantageous for both the sender and the recipient of institutional messages. 2. The vocation discourse -the institution accepts a communication strategy, placing in the main plan the beneficiary of the activity it carries out. By pedaling the advantages it offers him, she equally touches the existential and the object of socialization. 3. The lucrative discourse -the way of discussing the institutional communication in such cases is of descriptive and explanatory nature of what the institution is going to achieve in order to reveal its own values. 4. Sovereignty discourse -the alibi of such a strategy which consists in promoting the vocation and prestige of an institution. The actions of self-representation are characterized by the remarkable desire to reveal the virtues of the institution. Therefore, the spirit finds its mirror concentrated in slogans such as: "Company A: the future is ahead", "Campaign X? reference mark".
Functions of institutional communication The functions of institutional communication derive from those of public communication. According to Harold Lasswell, this type of institutional communications are the results that come from environmental control, by correlating parts of society and transmitting social heritage from one generation to another (Tasenţe, 2019). In the literature, several authors involved in institutional communication issues have interpreted these considerations in different ways. Therefore, Lucien Sfez considers as functions of institutional communication its identification and positioning on the market, legitimizing the activity, improving the understanding and amplifying its social resonance, mobilizing employees and valuing the opportunity of the services offered by the institution (Damaschin, 2006).
Pascale Weil supports another approach that sets out more precisely the missions of institutional communication: it proposes a unitary representation of the institution; fully links the individual to the development of the institution; turns the protagonists of a war into allies; has a conciliatory effect; creates the language of communication; channels diversity into the conceptual bed of an enterprise. Social Media. Definition and evolution. The concept of Social Media took shape in 2010, being explained by Michael Haenlein and Andreas Kaplan, as "a group of online applications that grow on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0 and allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content" (Kaplan, Haenlein, 2010). Second generation Internet. These services offer new possibilities for communication and social interaction in the online environment. "Social media are assimilated to the activities, practices and behaviors of groups and communities in the online environment, more precisely to the dissemination and creation of information through Web 2.0" (Lon Safko, 2009). The authors Safko and Brake use the term "conversational media" to describe those elements of Web 2.0 that facilitate the creation and transmission of informational content. These elements can be represented by words, images, videos and audio. There are applications that allow you to upload and transfer videos such as YouTube, interactive encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, but also blogging platforms such as Wordpress. However, the most representative forms of the concept of social media are social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook. Social media is a collective term for websites and applications that focus on communication, community-based introduction, interaction, content sharing, and collaboration. The term social media is also understood as a set of forms of online communication used by people to form networks, communities, and to share information, ideas, and messages. From this last definition two main ideas can be extracted. First, social media must include online communication, which means that the history of social networking cannot begin before the widespread adoption of the Internet. Second, social media depends on user-generated content, which is why typical sites and blogs are not included in social media. Thus, we can understand social networks as a wide range of things, such as messaging apps like WhatsApp and Viber, profile-based platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, video portals like YouTube, and also email clients like Gmail.
In other words, social media satisfies one of the primary needs of human beings, namely the need for social interaction. Thus, social networking sites and social media applications are becoming more and more popular. With the growing popularity of social networking sites, both entrepreneurs and public institutions have tried to take advantage of this opportunity and promote themselves online.
Regarding the evolution of social media, there are opinions that correlate the history of social networks with the development of technology that occurs since the late nineteenth century.
A common starting point is the appearance of Samuel Morse's first telegraph in 1844. However, this type of telegraph communication does not qualify as social media because it does not take place online and does not contribute to the creation of a community. , but only facilitates the transmission of messages between two people.

Common features of Social Media
As stated above, the Internet has changed people's lifestyles and habits. The Internet has allowed people to communicate with each other without any barriers, blurring the boundaries between nations. People's participation in the online environment has given a boost to the development of the social media network. Thus, the online environment has come to be exploited by specialists in marketing and communication, who considered that social media is an effective way to attract potential customers. It is worth mentioning that not only private organizations have noticed this opportunity for promotion offered by the online environment, but also public institutions, such as: Government, Parliament, Ministries, City Halls, etc. Rich Maggiani is a specialist who has discovered certain common features that are found in all types of Social Media. Rich Maggiani calls them as key concepts (the 5 C's): Conversation, Contribution, Collaboration, Connection, Community (Tasente, 2019).
Unlike traditional media in which readers or viewers are passive participants, in the case of social media, users become active participants, exchanging information, sharing experiences, expressing opinions through comments and reviews. Thus, markets can interact with customers in real time through this type of online communication.
The organization actually gets to listen to the customer and understand more about his perception about the organization as a whole, but also about the services or products offered by it.   During the monitored period, it was noticed that Constanţa City Hall through its online communicators is more active on Facebook on Mondays and Fridays, in the rest of the working days having a constant activity. Saturday has the lowest level of activity in the online environment. Regarding the posts during the day, during Monday the posts from 10:00 and from 14:00 had the highest degree of interaction with the fans, the posts from 10:00 and from 18:00 on Wednesday also had a high degree of interaction with users. During Thursday, it is noticed that the post from 06:00 has a low degree of interaction with the fans, 18:00 being the most favorable time for posts made by Constanţa City Hall. Last but not least, during Saturday there is a low interaction from the fans towards the posts from 06:00 and 22:00.
During the monitored period, 16.09.2019-13. 10.2019, 170 posts were published on the Facebook page of Constanţa City Hall, and photo posts were the most frequently used, followed by video, status and link posts. From the total of 170 posts, it can be seen that, on average, fans interacted with the messages sent, through the following methods: like (15,000), comments (2400), share, love, etc. On the one hand, the most used keywords that have generated a very good interaction rate are: Municipality, Constanţa, Tomis, Direction, local, and so on. On the other hand, the words that generated a lower interaction rate are: Mare, Evenimentul, Naţional, Mihai, Raţiu, etc. Also, regarding the most used hashtags, they are: #primariaconstanta, #constanta, #Constantafrumoasă, #ilovemyct etc.   Also, regarding the distribution according to the biological gender of the fans of the Facebook page of Constanţa City Hall, it can be observed that the percentages are equal, 50% of the users being women and 50% men. Last but not least, regarding the age criterion, it was noticed that the highest percentage of fans of the page -26.49% are aged between 25-34 years, and the lowest percentage -3.04% belong to people with over 65 years of age. Thus, it can be concluded that the fans of the Facebook page of Constanţa City Hall are, for the most part, between 18-54 years old.   Regarding posts that include photos, it has been observed that they generate a much higher engagement rate than other types of posts. Photos are captivating and easy to understand, making them the most effective tool for content marketing. Photos also allow you to take a larger portion of a user's News Feed, stimulating their attention. Last but not least, links can be included in the photo posts, Constanţa City Hall having many posts of this type. To maximize the impact of image posts, relevant text can be included to pique users' interest in those posts. An excellent way to engage the public around the photos posted is to include a call to action, so that citizens are encouraged to do something, and feel part of the approach of that post. Another way to increase the engagement rate of fans through image posts is the option to vote between two possibilities. Thus, to maximize access to posts, one option may be to like, and the other option may be to share. Last but not least, a photo album can be a great way to promote content from certain events, new product lines, or photo galleries. This photo album allows the posting of several pictures within the same post, the online communicators of Constanţa City Hall avoiding the fact that the page posts become annoying for users. During the monitored period, the posts of the Facebook page of Constanţa City Hall that includes images that had the highest engagement rate are: the post from 07.09.2019 by which Simona Amânar is congratulated for her birthday, the post being accompanied by several pictures of the gymnast; the post dated 18.09.2019 by which the citizens of Constanţa are informed that the mosaic will be treated with a non-slip solution; the posting dated 20.09.2019 by which the drivers are warned that certain changes will take place in connection with the parking lots in the city.
As for posts that include videos, they generate a high level of fan engagement, with videos being among the most popular and compelling formats for Facebook posts. The content of the video must be attractive and compelling, especially in the first seconds, in order to capture the public's attention. Videos should also be short so as not to bore the audience.
Regarding In terms of text posts, it seems that text has a high degree of efficiency in capturing users' interest when it is short. Thus, posts between 100 and 250 characters receive about 60% more likes, comments and shares than texts with more than 250 characters. The best types of text content are "blank fill" posts, asking fans an open question, and they can answer in the comments section.
Thus, the most efficient text posts of Constanţa City Hall in the monitored period were, as shown in the image below, the following:  I consider that the post attracted such a high rate of commitment from the fans due to the popularity that the gymnast enjoys, especially locally, but also due to her international reputation, Romania being proud of its sporting values.
Regarding the comments left on this post, 77 comments were counted. The analysis of these comments showed that the post had a positive impact on fans, with the vast majority of comments wishing them "Happy Birthday!" to the gymnast and congratulating her on her entire career.  The works of art at the pedestrian crossings will be treated with a non-slip solution. It will not slip on the mosaic! " The organizers assure us that, before the start of the cold season, the mosaic works will be treated with a non-slip solution, and where the curbs are high, anti-slip strips will be placed. The post generated 723 reactions, of which 541 likes, 34 love, 38 haha, 6 wow, 1 sorry, 13 anger. There were also 98 comments and 84 shares. The reactions to the posting of Constanţa City Hall were predominantly negative, this resulting from the comments left on the posting, the vast majority of people disapproving of the initiative and suggesting the spending of public money in a more efficient way. Some of the comments were: "Good people in hospitals is mourning there must be invested!"; "A multistorey car park you are not able to make in crowded areas… we have mosaic money" etc. However, there were some positive comments that welcomed the initiative of Constanţa City Hall: "How beautiful! Congratulations on the initiative! Congratulations to the artists!". The post from 16.09.2019, at 16:30 highlights the fact that the safety of the participants in traffic is a priority for the municipality, Constanţa City Hall, through S.C. Confort Urban S.R.L., continuing to improve the visibility of pedestrian crossings in the city. Also, in the text of the post are mentioned the areas where these works will take place, namely: on Lăpuşneanu Boulevard, in the area of Andrei Şaguna University and next to Tomis III Square, on I.C. Brătianu, next to the Gymnasium School No. 8 and in the area of the CFR Polyclinic, on Soveja Street, at the intersection with Chiliei Street, on Tomis Boulevard, in the Macul Roşu area and at the intersection with Farului Street. The post generated a total of 578 reactions, of which 479 likes, 9 love, 22 haha, 4 wow, 1 anger. There were also 75 comments and 24 shares. The reactions to this post were predominantly positive, with fans congratulating the local institutions for the initiative, and also suggesting in many comments other areas of the city where they would these road safety measures must be applied. Some of these comments were: "Come with the marking of pedestrian crossings! Faster… In my opinion, the first ones were marked "; "We are waiting on Soveja for the corner with the Sower! It's crazy! " By posting on 27.09.2019, at 21:50, the participation of the mayor of Constanța, Degebal Făgădău, in the Special Reporter show from Neptun TV is presented, in which he presented some of the projects that were to be carried out in Constanţa. Hall invites the citizens of the city, at the end of the week, to the most colorful fair in the city that will take place in the park in front of the National Opera and Ballet Theater "Oleg Danovski". At the "Constanta with Flowers" Fair will be present flower producers from the county, producers of ceramic, concrete, iron and wood pots, landscaping companies, companies that sell flower care products and phytosanitary products. a positive impact on the fans who viewed it, attracting a total of 342 reactions, of which 217 like, 9 love, 3 wow. The post was also shared 117 times, with a total of 8 comments.
Through the comments, the citizens supported the idea of holding this fair, urging each other to participate.

Conclusions
Following the realization of this paper, I have reached some very important conclusions, which I will present in the following. First of all, we concluded that within a public institution, be it central or local, communication in all its forms is a key element. The internal communication within the public institution, if it is efficient, leads to the accomplishment of the activity of the respective public institution, making minimum effort and obtaining maximum results. Also, a favorable institutional climate will be created, facilitating the transmission of information between the different hierarchical levels. Through external communication, information and decisions of public administration are transmitted to citizens, who are the direct beneficiaries of public services, projects and programs implemented by public institutions both nationally and locally. Secondly, with regard to social media, it can be stated that social networks are becoming a way of communication increasingly used and approved by both citizens and public institutions.
Communication through social media is a very important step in order to move to a new form of administration, the so-called e-government. Thus, citizens can easily find information about the activity of public institutions, social networks being easy to access. Regarding the practical part of the paper, namely the case study, we concluded that the Facebook page of Constanta City Hall is constantly growing in terms of the number of fans, the posts made by online communicators have an impact on citizens , expressing their points of view, whether for or against, in connection with the projects or programs carried out by the City Hall of Constanţa.
Thus, we noticed that Constanţa City Hall was aware of the fact that only through a close connection with the citizens can a good administration of the city be achieved.
We also consider that the degree of trust and sympathy of citizens towards local public institutions is high, the Facebook page of Constanţa City Hall making progress continue. However, following the research, I believe that there are some issues that need to be improved by online communicators. Thus, they could analyze the types of posts that users agree or they could post more information in the time slot in which users are active on the social platform. In conclusion, it can be stated that the role of social media in institutional communication is very