Welcome back to my blog for those who have been with me for the past five weeks as we continue our journey exploring e-governance and law enforcement. Today we will be examining the phenomena that is Social Media and how it impacts government, with special attention to law enforcement agencies. Of course when we say social media, we are referring to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., but social media can extend to any electronic medium that fosters communication between a government entity and the people.
Social media is arguably the greatest way we communicate in both the private and public sectors. Government institutions, private enterprise, celebrities, and everyday individuals can all have their voice heard through the use of these services. It does not matter if you are a Koch Brother or the guy that works at the local convenient store, if you have a means to type or say it, your voice can be heard. If you have been following my blog, you will note that I constantly reference the main benefit of social media being the transparency of government. However, it goes beyond just that. It is the way political candidates announce their political aspirations, yes I'm talking about you Donald Trump. It is the way alerts can be placed to citizens of impending danger or simple traffic jams. It can also be the way we break news. Unfortunately, like most double edged swords, it can be used for good or evil. It can be your best friend or worst enemy. Government is no exception. Like the image above demonstrates, same tool; two different purposes!
Once it is out there……..IT IS OUT THERE! There are no resets, recalls, just kiddings, oopses, do overs, or let's try that agains. Social media becomes the property of the source being used and is available to the world the moment you press "send" and even after you "delete" it. Pictures on Facebook that you upload becomes Facebook's property; read your fine print. Gaffes made on Instagram become the property of Instagram. Have you ever noticed that every time a popular figure says something REALLY stupid, they always delete the stupid thing from their page only to find the media was still able to recover the image or phrase for all the world to see? We in government have to be especially careful of this because the world is always watching. And what better news than to report a public figure doing or saying something really stupid on social media. Whether you are President Obama or the Police Chief of a four man agency, you send it, the world knows. This is where ethics, knowledge, training, and the establishment of policies become so crucial to e-governance. In the video clip provided below, professors at Santa Clara University discuss this very issue concerning social media:
So let's bring this full circle back to our agency. We are the head honcho and we have made the smart move to social media as part of our repertoire. We want to discuss and create the rules and regulations with our IT Department concerning how it is used, and who is responsible for it. We need to discuss the manner in which information is disseminated with our Public Information Office. We need to establish clear guidelines for our officers/deputies by writing a standard operating procedure that addresses what they can and cannot do, EVEN ON THEIR OWN PAGES/DEVICES. We should consult with our legal department to assist us in that area because there is case law available through the National Relations Labor Board governing this aspect. The American Bar.org has a great summary of those rights available using this link for the .pdf. So just keep in mind, this is a great tool and the people will "LIKE" us for it, but we must be diligent and careful in implementation so that we don't find ourselves in the "Comment Hidden Due to Low Rating" section! Thank you for reading. Until next time!
Gary
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