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Today politics and social media are virtually inseparable. From President Donald Trump on down, our elected officials use various social media platforms as a way to broadcast their respective messages. Many voters feel there is too much use of social media by politics – at least by the President.
According to a Morning Consult/Politico poll from last year most voters said President Trump uses Twitter too much – with 72% saying he should use it less, and just 2% saying he should use social media more.
However, social media could have a more meaningful convergence with local government, where it could help spread news on local issues. This could be extremely important as we've seen a decline in small community newspapers.
There is really no reason why local government shouldn't embrace social media as much as possible.
"Unless local governments want to live in a parallel universe disconnected from the world most live in," said Anirudh Ruhil, professor at Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
"By some accounts two out of every three adults gets their news from social media," added Ruhil. "Almost everyone is on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook. So why would any entity use some other means of disseminating information, of connecting its people, maybe even gathering information?
Local governments can – if they don't already – send out information about breaking events from road closures to emergency information.
"They can promote events, and by virtue of how social media platforms extend the reach, you can be sure that those 10 likes will be seen by 100 more persons than if the post was never there to begin with," Ruhil explained.
"Take a minute to think about the broad mission of cities and their often massively diverse and geographically distributed constituencies," said Dr. Paul Russo, vice provost at Yeshiva University and professor in the Masters of Data Analytics and Visualization Program. "Cities need ways to get information out quickly, from hundreds of small understaffed offices, and Facebook and Instagram are ideal venues to connect with citizens where they live – and where they travel."
Economic Development Tool
Social media could be used for a city's economic growth and even as a recruiting tool.
"Cities, like businesses, can use professional platforms to promote economic development activities – locally and globally," explained Russo.
"Like businesses, cities can proactively compete for the best employees," added Russo. "While you might think this is obvious – it's not. Embedded cultures, bureaucracies, unionized departments and standing regulation have slowed down the use of social platforms for government. Yet there are innovative agencies that are breaking through the red tape, making it easier for to serve the community."
Connecting With Constituents
Local politicians should also look to social media as a way to connect with the local constituents. Just as local government officials may pound the pavement and press the flesh, they should take to Twitter and Facebook as a way to build recognition with voters.
"If someone wasn't sure if social media was effective in local politics, I would ask them, 'Do you think social media had an effect on the 2016 presidential election?' Most people would say yes," said Dr. Dustin York, director of undergraduate and graduate communications at Maryville University. "If social media can determine a President, it can also determine a representative or mayor, and with much less effort."
Social media should remain a tool after Election Day – and while we've seen that some may think the President tweets too much, the truth is that this is a way for elected officials to share a message directly to voters.
"Social media, if used correctly, can be the best channel for communicating all messages from a local government," added York. "The issue is local governments typically don't have entire social media teams like national organizations. However, if local government understands the tips to success, they'll see movement."
York suggested that social media should show personality, and not simply be press release content; and that it should be part of a community's ongoing communication and alerts should be set up keywords so that elected officials can respond to comments made by the community.
The other benefit of social media is that it can allow local governments to reach more people with less effort.
"Using readily available free or low-cost platforms like Facebook helps to relieve technology burdens on already overtaxed IT groups," said Russo.
"Yet, there are risks," Russo warned. "When so many different agencies and individuals have easy access to instantly push out communications, coordinating and staying on message can be tricky."
Beyond Facebook And Twitter
We've seen that Twitter is the preferred platform for many politicians as the micro-blogging service has become a broadcast tool. However, to connect with constituents, local government should utilize a broad reaching social media strategy.
"Use the sites that are applicable," said York. "I would recommend always having a Facebook presence. After that, be present on accounts that speak to your target market. If your target market is 45 plus, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok are not the best use of time. If you're trying to get 18-year-olds active, and you haven't heard of TikTok, you're missing a meaningful opportunity."
Whichever social media is used, it is important that the context of the platform is understood!
York suggested that politicians and local officials spend at least five hours simply digesting content from the site. "Do not download TikTok and just start posting videos that you already posted on Instagram," he added. "It will not work. After watching TikTok for 5 hours, you'll then understand the context and have the ability to create content that engages."
Most importantly, local government should avoid violating users' privacy, whether it is to win an election or even to see which way the winds are blowing on a controversial issue. Using social media to 'read the tea' leaves should be done through communication not by harvesting data.
"The blowback of the Cambridge Analytica scam should give pause to cities," said Ruhil. "Don't go out there harvesting your citizens' data or trying to use those photos for facial recognition database construction."
