From Love Affair to Liability: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Approach to Social Media 2009-2023

Social media guidelines have become essential tools for media organisations seeking to balance the opportunities presented by social media with potential reputational risks. Existing research highlights that such guidelines not only regulate appropriate social media use but also reflect organisational social media imaginaries – the hopes, expectations, and assumptions that shape how media professionals engage online. However, little attention has been given to the historical evolution of these guidelines within public media institutions. This paper addresses this gap by applying Institutional Theory to analyse the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) social media guidelines from 2009 to 2023, focusing on competing institutional logics – understood as the values, goals, and norms that actors invoke when navigating social contexts. Drawing on an extensive review of ABC policy documents, public speeches, parliamentary hearings, and 10 in-depth interviews with senior ABC journalists and editors, this study traces how the ABC’s social media governance evolved from initial enthusiasm through tempered engagement to cautious risk mitigation. The findings reveal the complexities of balancing editorial independence, professional norms, political pressures, and commercial imperatives in a shifting digital landscape. Over time, the ABC’s guidelines demonstrate an increasingly regulated and risk-averse posture as the organisation seeks to reconcile conflicting institutional demands.