Framing Policing Image and Reputation: Police Engagement with Social Media as a Tool to Employ Impression Management Tactics

Dewar, Adriana Lucia

Framing Policing Image and Reputation: Police Engagement with Social Media as a Tool to Employ Impression Management Tactics

dc.contributor.advisor	Adorjan, Michael
dc.contributor.author	Dewar, Adriana Lucia
dc.contributor.committeemember	Van Brunschot, Erin
dc.contributor.committeemember	Mather, Charles
dc.date	2024-02
dc.date.accessioned	2023-12-06T23:33:56Z
dc.date.available	2023-12-06T23:33:56Z
dc.date.issued	2023-11-10
dc.description.abstract	Historically, policing agencies have had a great deal of control over the information released about them. Prior to social media, information was disseminated through media channels such as newspaper articles or press conferences. This allowed for the information to be carefully tailored to highlight only the positive aspects of police behaviour, which directly benefitted them. Alternatively, police used these channels to regulate the information being presented to the public to maintain the position of gatekeeper of influential information. Social media and instant technologically mediated communications offer profound novel opportunities for police to communicate with the public, but also new risks, such as, losing public confidence, legitimacy, and issues of animosity. This study utilized qualitative methods to capture how police agencies employ social media as a means to engage in impression management tactics to influence the public’s perception. In addition, the study analyzed the public’s attitudes and beliefs about the police and their views on policing as a profession through the type of interactions occurring online. The qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews with the communications personnel and current police officers from a police agency in Western Canada. In conjunction with the in-depth interviews, an ethnographic content analysis was performed on the social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok) of police agencies in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Winnipeg. This research uncovered the impression management tactics being used to influence the public’s perception of the police. In addition, this research illuminated points of contention between the police and civilians, as well as methods for increasing positive interactions on various social networking platforms.
dc.identifier.citation	Dewar, A. L. (2023). Framing policing image and reputation: police engagement with social media as a tool to employ impression management tactics (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117630
dc.identifier.uri	https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/42473
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	Impression Management
dc.subject	Policing Image
dc.subject	Reputation Maintenance
dc.subject	Social Media
dc.subject	Qualitative
dc.subject.classification	Education--Sociology of
dc.title	Framing Policing Image and Reputation: Police Engagement with Social Media as a Tool to Employ Impression Management Tactics
dc.type	master thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Sociology
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Master of Arts (MA)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.