Social media effects on fostering online civic engagement and building citizen trust and trust in institutions

•We examine online civic engagement and trust among citizens.•We explored the trust perceptions of institutions among social activists.•Facebook appears to be a civic communicative tool to mobilize and organize.•Online civic engagement is a predictor for increasing citizen trust.•Trust in institution can be increased via fostering greater trust propensity.

This paper tests the extent to which social media is shaping civic engagement initiatives to build trust among people and increase trust in their institutions, particularly the government, police and justice systems. A survey of 502 citizens showed that using social media for civic engagement has a significant positive impact on trust propensity and that this trust had led to an increase in trust towards institutions. Interestingly, while group incentives encouraged citizens to engage online for civic matters, it is civic publications through postings on social media that intensify the urge of citizens for civic action to address social issues. Post-hoc analysis via ten interviews with social activists was conducted to further examine their perceptions on trust towards institutions. The overall findings suggest that institutions, in their effort to promote a meaningful and trusting citizen engagement, need to enhance trust among the public by fostering social capital via online civic engagement and closing the public–police disengagement gap.