A community around using social tech for social impact
Is Climate Change The Reason that Local Authorities will Embrace Social Media?
Often, when I am standing in the kitchen sorting my cans from my bottles from my newspapers (or more likely, watching my partner do this) I marvel at just how effective the council has been in changing our household's behaviour in relation to rubbish and recycling. But, as we know, here is still much, much more to do if 'we' collectively are to meet the stringent carbon reduction targets that experts agree are needed sooner rather than later if we are to avoid irreversible consequences.
I am convinced that council's are at their most innovative and least risk adverse when it comes to to tackling the environment and combating climate change. Social media is the natural tool for promoting collective action... so is the green and digital agenda “The Reason” that Local Authorities will finally give in and embrace the value of online community and social media? For Bristol, I think it is... what do you think?
I am convinced that council's are at their most innovative and least risk adverse when it comes to to tackling the environment and combating climate change. Social media is the natural tool for promoting collective action... so is the green and digital agenda “The Reason” that Local Authorities will finally give in and embrace the value of online community and social media? For Bristol, I think it is... what do you think?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Phil Green on
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Hi Stephen, I suspect Bristol is more enlightened than many other areas across the UK when it comes to environment and climate change type issues. In an area I was involved with a local bureaucrat once said to me in all seriousness "You'll never get recycling rates above 8 per cent." In these other areas one might wonder if social media is the escape route (if not the reason) that local government (perhaps even central government!) will finally give in and embrace the value of promoting collective action for climate change and sustainability.
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Permalink Reply by Ingrid Koehler on -
I'm not so sure it's all about climate change and more about how social media can naturally fit with open, "positive" issues (everyone loves the environment, right? - even if climate change is controversial in some circles) and is focused around things where public policy is hoping to get everyone to make small (but important) changes to their behaviour.
It's also an area where we know that marketing is really important - in fact - social marketing is really important. And social media has a lot of the features - like social proofing, etc - that make social marketing work.
So maybe in Bristol the issue will be climate change, some place else it might be about healthier lifestyles or cracking worklessness. We'll see.
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Permalink Reply by David Wilcox on
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Ingrid - I like your point about social media fit with an open issue. Jemima Gibbon's excellent book Monkeys with Typewriters uses social media values/benefits as chapter headings: Co-creation, Passion, Learning, Openness, Listening, Generosity ... then gives interviews with people using social media to achieve that, and only then talks about tools. So tech is two clicks down from a set of issues we can all engage with.
So maybe the question is, what other "positive" issues and civic areas of activity are there where these six - and the social media to suppor them - could be applied? Where are the easiest wins?
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Hi Stephen - I'm sure you have some great Bristol examples for Andy here.
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