Power to the people?! Twitter discussions on (educational) policy processes

Social media now offers multiple parties inside and outside politics (e.g., teachers) the opportunity to start bottom-up initiatives and to use their online acquired social capital to exert real influence on policy processes. This development has multiple implications, because it is becoming increasingly difficult for governments to steer the information and design of (educational) policy processes in traditional ways. Previously established roles and steering mechanisms can be questioned, and the government has to consider assuming a different role, such as that of a networked government, in which forms of network governance are used. However, there is a lack of empirical research in this area. This raises the following question: What are the underlying communication processes when an educational policy is discussed through social media involving different networks of actors in the management of education?