Social media has been hailed as a way to promote people's active engagement in what has been called digital democracy (or e-democracy or e-government). Activities consider how technology might revolutionize and revitalize democracy, starting with how your local government uses social media and how might it can be used more effectively and democratically.
"All politics is local," the former Speaker of the House, Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. famously remarked, suggesting that people are intensely interested in the political matters they believe directly affect themselves, their families, and their communities. It follows from O'Neill's statement that much of what is political locally involves the policies and actions of local governments.
To build greater political engagement among people, cities and towns across the country are using social media to bring the local government to the people. For example, on social media, some communities livestream mayor, council, and select board meetings, send online memes, greetings, messages, and reminders to local individuals and groups, respond to people's requests for information and services, promote programs and initiatives by city and town departments, and notify everyone about natural disasters, impending weather, and other emergencies (The Truth about Local Government and Social Media, CivicPlus, 2020).
In theory, the widespread online access of digital democracy will give everyone more opportunities to express their views and influence public policy decisions. The record to date has been far less than that, as one researcher noted how to date, "democratic institutions have witnessed no digital revolution through the Internet" (Bastick, 2017, p. 3).
Still, how might social media and digital technology revolutionize and revitalize democratic participation among people?
Activity: Review and Improve Your Local Town Government's Use of Social Media
Examine social media posts from your local city or town government over a period of 2-3 weeks.
What type of information is posted?
What visuals do they use in their posts? How might these visuals influence viewers' reactions to the information provided in the post?
Do city or town officials reply to comments from viewers?
Then, compare how different departments (e.g., city or town council, police, schools, board of heath, recreation) use social media.
Which one has the largest following on social media? Why do you think that is?
Which one has the most engagement (e.g., replies, likes, shares)? Why?
Are there differences in how these groups communicate with members of the community? If so, why do you think that is?
Based on your findings and your own experiences with social media, write a proposal and design a video to help a local government department (e.g., town council, chamber of commerce, recreation) improve their use of social media to engage citizens.