Social media in state lotteries: Exploring the role of technology in program marketing

State-sponsored lotteries are adopted to raise funds for state programs. As such, there is a public mission within these organizations; however, most operate like private companies, thus shifting the organizational ethos to profit maximization. Much research on social media focuses on federal and local government agencies. In this paper, we explore the role of social media in lottery program marketing. Through an analysis of random lotteries on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, we find: 1) a focus on aspirational marketing to promote the lottery as a business entity through its products and 2) increased dialogue with followers (i.e. customers) compared to other public agencies. This is a shift in how public organizations traditionally use the social tools, showing there can be a balance between marketing and dialogue

The Good, the Ugly and the Dirty Harry’s of Conservation: Rethinking the Anthropology of Conservation NGOs

For the past decade, narrative portrayals of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) growing big, 'ugly', and business-minded have become common in both social science and public discourse. At a time when both engagement within NGOs as well as critical analysis from the outside has blossomed, how are the social sciences and anthropology in particular responding? This article suggests that a set of meta-narratives characterise much of the literature analysing conservation NGOs. Such narratives respectively position NGOs as doing good, turning ugly or acting pragmatically through what I label 'Dirty Harry' characteristics. While the critique of conservation NGOs offers a much needed 'reality check', it is time to revisit dichotomies of the 'good' past and the ugly present. The article reviews trends in the literature and offers a case study from the Peruvian Amazon. The final synthesis emphasises the need for a less essentialist perspective tracing heterogeneity and change of NGO activity over time