A book chapter by Gábor Dobos and Márton Bene has been published in the second volume of Municipal Councillors in Europe, edited by Hubert Heinelt, Björn Egner, Jakub Lysek, and Tom Verhelst.

The chapter examines how local councillors across Europe perceive the usefulness of social media for communicating with citizens within a rapidly changing local media environment. Drawing on survey data from nearly 14,000 local councillors across twenty-seven European countries, the study employs ordinal regression analysis to examine how individual, political, and institutional factors shape local politicians’ perceptions of the usefulness of social media.

The chapter highlights the complex interplay between structural conditions and individual agency in shaping digital engagement, while also underscoring the role of social media in transforming local public spheres.