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Something very interesting is happening in Philadelphia right now. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is taking steps, little by little, to control the narrative about the city. Instead of having a variety of different city agencies putting out their own messaging and their own narratives on social media, the mayor’s office will be the central control point for any message about the city.
From now on, municipal agencies and other administrative centers of the city must get a sign-off on any new social media post from the mayor’s office. Even something as simple as an Instagram post putting out details about the meeting of an interest group at the local library must now get approval from the mayor’s office.
The downside of trying to control the narrative
Obviously, this is a level of micro-managing that you don’t see on social media very often. It’s one thing for the mayor’s office to require final sign-off and approval on anything posted on behalf of the mayor. But it’s another thing entirely for every municipal agency in the city to do this as a sign of fealty to the mayor!
You can immediately see why this new social media policy is going to make the city much less responsive to the needs of its citizens. For one, it won’t be possible to put out weather updates, school closure information, or meetups without going through an annoying approval process. Something that should take a few minutes might end up taking days, if not weeks, especially during busy holiday periods.
The new policy is bound to have a chilling effect on new social media content. In a best-case scenario, it will lead to a lot of boring, boilerplate content that can be easily approved. In a worst-case scenario, it might lead to some city agencies simply deciding it’s not worth their time and effort to create any content at all. Needless to say, there won’t be a need for a young social media intern if there’s nothing to post about.
The revolt of the librarians
What’s interesting is how some municipal agencies and city workers are already starting to react. The librarians of the city, for example, seem to be uniting against the policy. It’s absurd that updates about book clubs, or new public appearances need to be signed off by the mayor. The Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported on a number of library branches around the city putting out social media posts hinting at their displeasure with the new policy. As they see it, the 54 branches of the city shouldn’t be part of this social media experiment.
And, to be sure, there’s something about the new policy that hints at censorship. What, exactly, is the new mayor so concerned about? Right now, all we know is that Mayor Parker wants a more “unified voice and messaging” on topics related to the city. Fair enough. But the fact that posts need to be approved in advance is certainly a point of concern. Why not just send out a social media handbook with rules and guidelines?
What happens next?
Trying to control the narrative on social media is impossible these days. Just ask any brand that has a presence on social media. They found out a long time ago that power users and brand ambassadors have tremendous influence these days. You simply can’t silence these individuals – you need to learn how to work with them. And that’s a lesson that Philadelphia is going to find out very soon.
