Schools' use of social media for multicultural community engagement: a case study of Facebook use by government schools in Australia

This chapter canvasses the use of social media by government secondary schools in Sydney, Australia, emphasizing how social media is leveraged to build a sense of community with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) stakeholders. The focus is on the schools’ official use of public Facebook pages, which are set up under the auspices of the New South Wales Department of Education (NSW DoE), as well as on how identity is created through the use of social media and the extent to which it fosters a sense of belonging and social inclusion. The chapter begins with a literature review of the use of online and social media by schools and considers the Department’s policies and ethical concerns regarding social media. This is followed by an introduction to the specific context of schools and multiculturalism in Sydney, Australia, which provides a unique case study for analyzing social media by secondary schools in a globalized and multiethnic context. Using theories around the representation of identity, organizational listening, and voice (e.g. Couldry, 2006, 2010; Dreher, 2009, 2017; Macnamara, 2013, 2016) and cycles of trust (Copeland & de Moor, 2018), the chapter delves into the implications for developing meaningful social media communication amongst multicultural and multilingual school communities. Finally, through content analysis of official school Facebook pages, it raises broader questions around the purpose and role of social media by government and public service entities like public schools as part of their remit to serve multicultural communities and how it can be effectively used to help build a sense of inclusion and belonging.