The principal purpose of this study is to investigate whether public relations practitioners inrnfederal government institutions are using social medi a or not. Mixed methods approach was usedrnby employing questionnaires and in -depth interviews as data coll ection techn iques. The studyrnrevealed th at public re lations practitioners in federal government institlltions lackcd, ski lls andrnknowledge, social media goals, defined target audience, social media content strategy, and ta cticsrnto track the achievement of social media goals. The study also indicated that the problem thatrnwas hindering them from using social media effectively was not only lack of knowledge andrnskills but also bureaucratic and manageri al issues that required commitment nom the toprnmanagement of their respective in stitutions