This thesis examined an internal policy document surrounding social media as a
medium of public communication by the Government of Canada. It employed qualitative
content analysis to examine an internal policy document titled Considerations for the
Government of Canada’s use of Social Media to Communicate with and Engage the
Public. In conjunction with the key considerations of structuration theory (Giddens,
1984) and structural elements of the institution itself, this qualitative content analysis
endeavoured to examine used the Government of Canada’s (GC) perspective on the
integration of social media into communication strategies, as well as the social and
communicative norms that are demonstrated through this text. Dominant themes were
identified and examined to facilitate the provision of practical advice for the GC with
respect to how they can improve their communication practices and utilize online social
media as a means of effective public communication.