Negotiating Digital Terrain: European Union Public Sector Communication Between Social Media, Civil Service and Political Demands

Abstract

As government institutions increasingly adapt to the logic of social media, questions arise about how these changes align with public service norms and democratic ideals. This article investigates the European Union’s use of social media from an organizational perspective, contributing to research on the mediatization of public bureaucracies. Using an institutional logics framework, it explores how communication officials across five EU institutions negotiate tensions between social media logic, civil service logic and political logic and what new goals, practices, and structures emerge in this process. The analysis draws on 27 semi-structured interviews with communication staff and internal communication strategies. Findings show that social media integration has led to significant organizational change, particularly in centralization, departmentalization, audiovisual production, and reliance on private-sector expertise. In terms of practices and goals, communication is shaped by algorithmic pressures, data-driven targeting, and an emphasis on positive engagement. Normative ideals of transparency, objectivity, and inclusion are increasingly displaced by strategies of curated visibility and institutional promotion. By focusing on social media units rather than traditional press offices, and comparing multiple institutions, this article offers new empirical insights into the evolving logic of government communication in a platform-driven media environment