Factors Influencing the Community's Intention to Participate in Public Services: The Perspective of the Ministry of Education and Culture

Abstract

The use of Instagram has significantly increased globally in the private and public sectors. Previous studies have shown Instagram is successful in enhancing users' involvement. It also applies to e-participation, which is harnessed by the government to better engage with the citizens. Hence, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Republic of Indonesia, manages an Instagram account@kemdikbud.ri to accommodate two-way communications between the ministry and the public on current issues related to educational and cultural activities. Hence, a study to advance the interactions was conducted by investigating factors influencing people's intention to get involved with @kemdikbud.ri on Instagram. The research model was constructed from two theories---namely, the technology acceptance model, along with the uses and gratifications theory. It consisted of 8 variables and 30 indicators that created the questionnaire. There were 527 valid responses from the followers of @kemdikbud.ri. The data were analyzed with SmartPLS 3, which is a partial least squares-structural equation modeling tool. The results indicate Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use positively affect Attitude toward Using Instagram. Furthermore, Attitude toward Using Instagram has a positive impact on Intention to Use Instagram for Citizen Participation. Besides, the intention is also positively influenced by Social Interaction and Information Acquired. These findings enrich the understanding of the public's plan to take part in e-participation on Instagram.