Americans think local government is boring. Social media could fix that.

Straight Arrow News

Watch Americans think local government is boring. Social media could fix that. - Straight Arrow News on Dailymotion

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00:00When's the last time you talked to the officials who govern your city or town?

00:04You know the ones crafting laws, passing ordinances, and writing codes that quietly shape your everyday life.

00:11Maybe it's a noise rule that tells you when the party's over, or a zoning code that decides what can be built next door.

00:18But here's the real question. How often do you show up when those decisions are being made?

00:25City council meetings and public hearings are infamous for being long.

00:30And let's face it, boring.

00:31But a growing number of local governments are trying to change that, and it starts on social media.

00:37Christy Dalton knows this space better than most.

00:40She's the founder of Government Social Media, the world's largest network of social media managers in government.

00:46We've created this community because it takes a lot of creativity for folks who work in government and want to share the story of government,

00:56to think about how can we frame this in a little bit different way.

01:00Dalton says agencies that speak in a conversational tone, the same language people use every day online, are seeing results.

01:08Anything that governments can do to ensure that they are humanizing themselves,

01:15they are becoming more known in the community for things that are outside of disasters and emergency situations.

01:24From creative short videos to playful campaigns like this one designed to boost attendance at city meetings.

01:32This council meeting has everything.

01:34Minutes to approve.

01:36Library board reappearments.

01:38What about the charter?

01:39We're gonna modernize it.

01:41The city of Fort Collins, Colorado took a page out of the Entertainment Playbook,

01:46leaning on the roar of monster trucks with a simple strategy,

01:50make the serious stuff fun.

01:52They're really the ones that are actively pursuing that democratic process.

01:57And that's what we want to see because, you know,

01:59the more diversity and representation that we have in the process,

02:05the more positive the outcome will be for the broader community.

02:09Amanda King is the chief communications and engagement officer for the city of Fort Collins.

02:14She says this push for fun isn't just about going viral.

02:17It's a council priority aimed at making local government more approachable.

02:22And about an hour away in Denver,

02:24The water department put their own spin on the Backstreet Boys hit,

02:39I Want It That Way,

02:41turning it into a playful lesson on how to properly water your yard.

02:45Even if you see these posts from your local government,

02:48not everyone can show up to a city council meeting at two o'clock on a Tuesday.

02:53In Houston, one resident decided if people couldn't be there,

02:56she'd bring the meetings to them.

02:58I started in June of 2020.

03:00It was high lockdown time and George Floyd had just been murdered and Breonna Taylor had just been murdered.

03:11And a lot of people were organizing to attend virtually the public safety committee hearing

03:19because it was budget season in Houston at the time.

03:22Emily Hines put her notes on Instagram.

03:24The first set drew people in.

03:26Soon, Hines was building slides, launching a website, even starting a podcast,

03:31all to translate what happens inside Houston City Hall into language people actually want to read.

03:38I'm totally trying to catfish people into caring about city council for sure, in whatever way that means.

03:43Today, thousands follow her updates.

03:46And while the city streams meetings online,

03:48Hines argues accessibility is about more than just a live stream.

03:52It's about breaking down barriers.

03:53The city does a poor job of that.

03:59And they do what the bare minimum of what is required of them by state law.

04:03It also just really sucks to exclude a whole group of people who are disabled

04:11or chronically ill enough that they don't feel comfortable going to a public space.

04:16At the end of the day, laws, codes and ordinances don't just happen.

04:21They're written and passed in rooms that depend on public voices.

04:25And whether you join online or in person, yours could be one of them.

04:29You can read Maggie Gordon's full piece on this topic right now on the Straight Arrow News mobile app

04:34or on SAN.com.

04:36Just search local government.

04:38For Straight Arrow News, I'm Kaylee Carey.

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