I truly believe that government officials should forfeit their private
social media accounts when in office.
Not only does this new method of communication give government lawyers
headaches, but in many cases we are entering a phase where government organizations
are now risking their legal and ethical obligations with their participation on
social media platforms. Undoubtedly,
President Trump is a prime example.
According to the PRA, the president's tweets are now official
presidential records. Which in
consideration to outsider’s perspectives, is both laughable and damaging to the
image that the United States represents and the overall integrity of our country. We also get into a fair share
of legal matters when entering the world of social media. For example, the inactivation of Donald Trump’s
twitter last November brought forth the question whether twitter should face
repercussions for an attack against the government? Another example would be in the state of
Arizona, where a constituent sued her representative after being blocked on
facebook. Was such an act a violation to
the right to free speech?
Maybe the government should reconsider the use of private social media
accounts by higher ranked government officials.
Not only do people of such authority compel individuals by spreading
their own agenda, but they also destroy our image of professionalism in the
U.S. government. This easy engagement of
social media brings disproportions to the values of words, thoughts, and
agendas of our nations elected officials. Elected officials should feel ethically obliged in avoiding social media platforms during the duration of their terms.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post about higher ranked government officials forfeiting their social media accounts. If it's impossible to keep them from posting on social media at all, they somehow need to be heavily regulated. When the president posts on social media, not only is it unprofessional, it is also raising concerns about poor mental health. This is a major loss of credibility, a big step backward for America and for the development our government needs. The posts on Twitter by Donald Trump is indefinitely giving people the wrong idea of authority and become a very poor influence towards society. This controversy needs to be appropriately addressed before things escalate and get more out of hand.
ReplyDeleteDear Josh,
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with your statement that public officials in office should reconsider the use of social media, I do have to somewhat disagree on them forfeiting their social media. As the new technology changes practically everyday I believe that social media can be a vital part in our society. It has its downsides - no doubt about it. However, it is one of the main platforms where candidates and officials in office can voice their opinions on the numerous current events or their agendas. It can reach millions of people within seconds and that's what they want it to do. Therefore social media is doing its job for the candidate and officials for their own marketing to gain new supporters and show the public that they are out there and wanting to be heard. I think that social media is a good resource for our government officials. However, I do think that it should be monitored and or have others proof before sending it out to the world. President Trump is a great example. Can his tweets be embarrassing as they reflect the United States as a country? Yes. Should he keep to only tweeting on certain topics? Yes. Similarly to how most officials have professional speech writers and public relations officials on their teams, they should have others who watch what they post on social media and work solely with that. You see the celebrities have these exact positions working for them and it is for a reason. Overall, I do not think that government officials should get rid of or forfeit their social media accounts. It is a vital piece of technology today that helps them get their message across to millions no matter what their political ideology is. They should have staffers who will monitor and or draft out the postings to ensure that it is not a bad reflection on themselves or the country as a whole.