Councillor introduction to...digital communications

• COVID-19 has forced unprecedented change and channel shift on communities, workforces and members. Councillors need as much support as possible to navigate the emerging technologies now required to continue fulfilling their democratic duty to residents. Digital communications and new forms of engagement will be important to master as more and more services move online.
• How can councillors embrace the new forms of digital communication?

Top tips

• Look at building safeguards and creating boundaries online
• Know when to disconnect and being disciplined in your routine
• Putting on an out of office on your email to ensure you set reasonable expectations for replies and responses
• Reserve days in the week and coordinate with your lead officers to have days for council work or designated days when devices are turned off

Outline

In this presentation I will make three points:

1. That online harassment is frequent
2. What digital citizenship is and why is it important
3. Resources to help councillors  develop a healthy civic culture when communicating online

Data: Bottom-up approach

• Online survey conducted, with the support of BA/Leverhulme small grant SRG19\191702 between April and June 2020
• Three webinars conducted in December 2020

Online harassment

"Abuse, intimidation, harassment facilitated by technology” (Esposito 2020)

Incivility, derogatory communication, non-policy based or that derive in the personal characteristics of the individuals in a derogatory manner (Kuperberg 2020)

• 40 per cent of councillors have been on the receiving end of technology-enabled abuse
• 91 per cent of experienced the abuse from angry members of the public or other councillors
• 6 in every 10 experienced fear as result
• Current approaches are reactive and limited
• What can we do to change they way we interact online?

Digital citizenship

• It is part of Civility in Public life
• Responsible behaviour when using technology and encouraging others to do so as well.
• Digital literacy, ethics, etiquette, online safety, norms, rights, culture and more. 
• Developing digital citizenship requires us to improve online political communications
• Agree to disagree and disagree in a respectful way

Rules of engagement

• Rule 1: Debate and disagreement are welcome on this page, but only if expressed with courtesy, respect and politeness.
• Rule 2: Posts should not contain abuse, harassment, intimidation or threats of any form.
• Rule 3: Posts should not contain any form of discrimination – including racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia or religious intolerance.
• Rule 4: Posts should not spread false or unverified information.
• Rule 5: For transparency reasons, users should not post anonymously.

If any of these rules are broken, page admins reserve the right to delete posts, block users and report content to the police if necessary.

It may not be possible to respond to all queries on this page due to time constraints - if you have specific enquiries or casework, please send directly to my official email.

Avoiding the spread of mis and disinformation

• Step 1: Check the source – Look for the original source and be suspicious of websites of unknown reputation, even if they look professional
• Step 2: Triangulate information – Check if the same information has been published on other known reliable websites
• Step 3: Read beyond the headlines – Never share information if you have not read the full article. False information often hides below attention-grabbing headlines
• Step 4: Correct falsehoods – If you see something on social media that is not true, calmingly correct by providing information, especially where people may look to you as a trusted community representative
• Step 5: Be constructive – Websites and articles can mix facts with inaccurate information. Before sharing, check that the content conveys a constructive message that matches the headline

Handling Online Abuse  

1: SET EXPECTATIONS – Point people to your rules of engagement and apply these consistently

2: LEAD BY EXAMPLE – Do not post comments that could be considered abusive and avoid posting false or unverified information

3: CONSIDER CONTENT – Some content will be more controversial than others. Consider before posting how you will manage engagement with this, for example only engaging in comments on the policy itself or directing people to consultation documents

4:DEFUSE CONFLICT – Waiting to respond can take the heat out of situations, as can reframing your own language

5: KNOW WHEN TO STEP BACK: Remember you do not have to engage with abusive or threatening behaviour. You can set the record strait with factual information if you wish, but you can step away when you want to

6: PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY – Set different passwords for different accounts and do not post information that can allow people to identify your whereabouts outside of official council business

7: UNDERSTAND PRIVACY SETTINGS – There is a range of settings to help you manage who can see or comment on your posts

8: GET AND GIVE SUPPORT – Where you feel able, provide support to fellow councillors online, and reach out to colleagues and your council for support where needed

9: RECORD ABUSE – Screenshot comments and keep a record of abusive or threatening communications

10: REPORT SERIOUS ISSUES – If you feel unable to feal with online abuse yourself or have any concerns about your safety report this to your council or the police

In summary

1. Reactive approaches to deal with online harassment are insufficient
2. We need to change the way we engage in political discussions
3. Digital Citizenship is about having civic conversations
4. The LGA has been working on guidelines to help fostering a positive political culture
5. No approach will be sufficient but steps are going in the right direction.

Top tips for getting the most from  social media

Top Tip for content ratio – The ‘Rule of Thirds’

• First third – your key messages/priorities
• Second third – sharing other people’s content
• Final third – engagement, non-work related content

Facebook Tips – Top 3

1. Understand your insights – trends, what works/doesn’t work
2. Local/interest groups identify them and ask if you can join
3. Comments are better than likes…

Twitter Tips – Top 3

1. Influential consider breaking news, opinion formers and media
2. Make the most of your profile page
3. Twitter algorithm – use your full 280 characters

5 Potential Benefits from LinkedIn

1. Engagement and reach rates
2. Groups and companies on your patch
3. Better recruitment opportunities
4. Improve/promote your organisational profile
5. Network and talk with peers

Governance Issues to Things to Think About…

• Social media policy
• Councillor guidelines
• Members code of conduct
• Opening a new account
• Passwords

Pre-election period Top Tips…

10 tips

1. Remember that all social media platforms operated by staff are subject to the rules of the pre-election period. 
   
    
2. When using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or other platforms, explain that as a council channel of communication you are governed by the pre-election period. It may be helpful to tweet a link to an explanation of the pre-election period for guidance.
   
    
3. Do not retweet or share political opinion or content posted by political parties or politicians.
   
    
4. Do not tweet, post images or share updates on matters which are politically controversial.
   
    
5. Monitor your page and delete any content which is politically controversial.
   
    
6. Do not stage a significant social media-based campaign unless it can be demonstrated that it was planned before the election was called.
   
    
7. Social media by and about the Mayor may be retweeted, shared or used as long as it is not of a political nature.
   
    
8. Disable the ability to download images of politicians during the pre-election period.
   
    
9. In exceptional circumstances seek permission from the communications unit to tweet or retweet a comment by a politician or to use video and images of a politician during the pre-election period.
   
    
10. Third party social media profiles, including business partnership profiles which the council supports, are also governed by the pre-election period. Council staff who update these profiles can either continue to add content in line with the pre-election period restrictions or hand over ALL admin to a non-council member of the partnership during the pre-election period.

Summary 1: Online Harassment

• Online harassment is any form of abuse or intimidation that has been facilitated by technologies of information.  This includes threats, insults or derogatory communications delivered on social media or over email.
• Based on this definition, results of an LGA survey show that 30% of the respondents have suffered of online harassment.
• Online harassment has important emotional consequences as 6 in every 10 councillors have experienced some fear while performing their duties
• Some limitations emerge from the various forms of social media and online harassment. This can include multiple platforms and multiple perpetrators.
• Also, some practical limitations due to the large volume of communications and limited resources of time and money faced by councillors and the police.
• Some ethical limitations come from the moderation approach itself. Who decides what is and what is not threatening online? This really depend on values and social norms.
• In all, what we can say is that current approaches are reactive and not preventive. But the reality is that once a post is seen, the threat cannot be unseen, and it is already done. We need to tackle, from the root, the reasons why members of the public feel entitled to communicate with representatives this way. We need a long term solution that changes culture.

Summary 2

• 46 per cent of councillors experience some form of inappropriate behaviour
• 30 per cent experienced harassment on social media
• 28per cent received abusive or threatening emails
• Together it means that 40 per cent of councillors have been on the receiving end of technology-enabled abuse
• 25 per cent of online harassed also received threats and 12 per cent had people loitering around their homes or work
• 91 per cent experienced the abuse from angry members of the public or other councillors

Summary 3: What can we do?

• Engaging in appropriate and responsible behaviour when using technology and encouraging others to do so as well. It encompasses digital literacy, ethics, etiquette, online safety, norms, rights, culture and more. 
• Developing digital citizenship requires us to improve online political communications. It is about expressing our opinions while respecting others’ rights and personas and avoiding putting them at risk or causing unnecessary distress. It is about respecting freedom of speech and dissidence while condemning abuse.

Useful Resources

• LGA – councillors guide to handling intimidation
• LGA – councillors and social media advice
• LGA – advice on the pre-election period
• Building a narrative – effective storytelling
• comms2point0 - public sector communications best practice