And why I won’t let my daughter use social media.Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ 

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Seamus | Content strategy for councils and government

Strategic content and social media for the public sector

Better #17
 

Kia ora friend,

I don’t let my daughter use social media.

She’s 14 and β€œall her friends” have Snapchat and TikTok but we’re the mean parents who won’t budge and relent.

I sometimes wonder whether one day I’m going to look back and wonder why I so enthusiastically helped promote a tool that has such obvious dangers and is designed to ruthlessly grab and hold our attention with little care for what it’s doing to us.

I’m midway through Johann Hari’s excellent book Stolen Focus, where this quote sums it up:

β€œThe algorithm [the platforms] actually use varies all the time, but it has one key driving principle that is consistent. It shows you things that will keep you looking at your screen. That’s it. Remember: the more time you look, the more money they make. So the algorithm is always weighted towards figuring out what will keep you looking, and pumping more and more of that on to your screen to keep you from putting down your phone.”

It’s terrifying, but also highlights the important role that public sector social media has in bringing something benevolent to this space.

As council and government communicators, we have little to sell and little to hide. It is our job to be helpful and transparent, provide genuine value, and encourage community and democracy.

But to do this, we have to do more (much more) than just broadcast information. We have to care enough to insist that our organisations truly respect our audiences, and that we interact in ways that people expect and appreciate right now.

If we do that, we can use that same algorithm to put some small, good, useful thing on to people’s screens, using social media not to distract or ensnare, but to inform, assist, and uplift.

Let’s make every post and comment count.

Cheers,
Seamus Boyer πŸ‘‹
 

quote

β€œIf we deny ourselves the crappo version of our story, a better version will (we aspirationally assume) present itself. To refuse to do the crappo thing is to strike a de facto blow for quality. (If nothing else, we haven’t done that.)”

- George Saunders
 

insight

How are things going? And where might we be heading?

I asked some friends in govt social media how 2024 was tracking, what they were enjoying on social, who they liked following, and what might come next.

Turns out their answers were just what I needed - a lovely little mid-year inspo boost.

Hope you enjoy it πŸ‘‡


What's one thing you've loved seeing on social media so far in 2024?

Simone Borgstede (Wellington City Council): I quite enjoyed the recent β€œunfollow celebrities” movement following the Met Gala which was such a stark contrast with the war in Gaza. Also I can never get Jojo Siwa out of my head.

Heather Lansdowne (Australian Bureau of Statistics): The Man vs Bear debate. The statistics, the analysis, the comments, all food for thought…

Amelia Branson (Rotorua Lakes Council): I’ve been looooving brands that aren’t actually trying to communicate any sort of messaging and are just running as awareness accounts. TikTok has always been where brands can add in some personality but there’s still so much obvious messaging in most of the videos. Brands like @remmiebyrylie and @setactive are killing it, and on a more relevant local government note Invercargill City Council are hitting so hard on TikTok.

Thanks Simone for recommending this one! Never crawl down Reggie the Wombat’s hole.

What's one account you're particularly enjoying at the moment?

Simone: Things are grim out there, so I’m enjoying Josh Neille for a palate cleanser – him and his young daughter rescue cute baby wombats in Australia. There is also an account where a guinea pig naps on a piano while their owner plays them songs.

Letetia Cheetham (Wellington Cable Car): One account I have been recently invested in is the Department of Conservation. They have a great mix of content ranging from informing, behind-the-scenes, their people, and highlighting how beautiful our wildlife and landscape is in Aotearoa/New Zealand. They are not afraid to try new formats with their posts or videos while keeping within the barriers of their purpose.

Heather: Pixar’s spot-on homage to Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poet’s Department almost made me cry πŸ˜…

Sarah Rapsey (Tasman District Council): I like what Waka Kotahi is doing, they have real a mix of content and a way to make things relatable to real life for the everyday person.

First I had to google β€˜Pixar Taylor Swift’, and then I had to google β€˜LOML’.

What's one thing you didn't see coming on social in 2024?


Letetia: Are we about to see the downfall of TikTok? Have we seen TikTok at its peak? I have noticed a change in the conversation with TikTok’s uncertainty after Universal removed all their audio back in February and the potential ban in the US with the upcoming election. It may just be a setback, as all channels go through a dip, but this also could be the start of an uncertain future for the channel.

Amelia: Council’s realising that they don’t have to put up with BS comments from the same 15 haters and can just *turn comments off*.

Simone: The celebrity backlash surprised me a little bit, especially people unfollowing Taylor Swift when normally she can do no wrong by her fans. But I’m here for it.

Heather: Katy Perry’s AI Met Gala outfit getting more attention than some of the real attendees!

Does it even matter at this point if a post isn’t real? What is real? Am I real? Are you? 🀯🀯🀯

What's one prediction for where social media might go in the next 6 months?


Amelia: I think we’re going to see a lot less. Less content, less pushing, less messaging, but more engagement because of it. People are tired, they’re seeing right through all the pushy sales tactics.

Sarah: Hopefully with more organisations embracing other social media channels and not just using Facebook as a one-stop shop. If you want to reach a younger audience, you can’t make them use a channel they don’t want to use, you need to meet them where they are – if that is Instagram or TikTok, then get on there!

Heather: With all the uncertainty about TikTok in the US and their plummeting creator fund rates, not to mention not being eligible for the fund outside of the States, I think creators will continue experimenting with YouTube Shorts and perhaps look to migrate their content there entirely.

Letetia: I think short video is here to stay for a while but a platform that I think maybe a dark horse is YouTube Shorts. Potentially may overtake TikTok for short videos while it’s having a moment.

Simone: We are going to see more authentic, organic content as the backlash against extravagant celebrity culture continues to grow. Also I think we’ll see more face to camera, blog style videos, and β€œvine” style videos rather than copy paste templates in terms of video.

YouTube Shorts works for Matty Matheson. Maybe it should be working for you too.
 

Aaaaaaand we’re done.

Hope you enjoyed today’s edition, it was defo shorter⚑Hit reply and send me some feedback.

Below is my brand new article on how we can start to chip away at the divisive wall that is content approval processes. I reckon it’s worth challenging these onerous processes in small but meaningful ways.

And as always, please consider sharing this newsletter with someone you think might like it. They take time to put together, so any help spreading the word is always appreciated πŸ™

See you in two weeks for more tips on how to get a little bit Better πŸ‘‹
 

Tips for swapping caution for courage in our comms

Government comms systems are often designed to minimise the chances of saying something problematic, which is a problem in itself.

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Seamus | Content strategy for councils and government