As more and more people utilize mobile devices, wearable technology, and other Internet protocol (IP) based communication systems, the effects of Internet governance on individual users will need to be better understood. Important aspects of the Internet are coordinated at multiple levels, including macro-level global institutions like the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), organizational-level governance, and in the form of emerging norms at the level of individual users. Global organizations govern architectural and other high-level aspects of the Internet like domain names and Internet protocol address allocation. Most Internet governance research has focused on the working of these governance bodies, but little research has dealt with the effects of their decisions and of organizational level governance on individual users. Individual users’ experiences are mediated by organizational governance rules within the Internet. For example, Facebook operates within the confines of the Internet and other organizations operate within the rules and affordances of Facebook. Individual users’ experiences on the Internet are mediated by Facebook, but also by other organizations using social media. I position my dissertation within the theoretical framework of this broader Internet governance research agenda, but focus on the organizational level, which is not well understood yet. My primary focus is meant to be an initial step in examining Internet governance effects on individual users by exploring whether organizational social media governance has measurable effects on individual users. I examine this question using a novel mixed-method research design beginning with a case study of a county government followed by a quantitative empirical inquiry. Interviews and document analysis were used in the case study. Facebook page data were collected through a partnership with the county. Using multilevel regression analysis, my findings suggest that the organization was able to govern the internal use of social media, but the effects of governance on user engagement (measured by likes, comments and shares from the public on Facebook) with citizens turned out to be weaker than hypothesized. However, the findings show the importance of organizational engagement in generating discussion with the public and sharing organizational content. When developing social media policies, it is important to consider how account level cues and message level cues are perceived by the public and specific audience of the account. My study shows that more theoretical work needs to be done in conceptualizing the behaviors of individuals as they relate to macro- and organizational-level Internet governance. For organizations developing social media policy, my study suggests the use of flexible policies that can be used if needed to achieve compliance.
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