'Social media' and all that...

"Unfortunately, it's the case with social media that individuals too often engage in dialogue without the (or for that matter any) facts."

I've had some intriguing conversations and experiences this week, including a family medical one. Some have been trying, others have been illuminating, yet others have given me pause to think...and re-think. 

In terms of local governance, I think I'm getting a bad neck-strain from shaking my head so much. I'm finding myself quite dismayed by how there are issues at the fore...residents are bitching and complaining, some writing editorials, others producing posters...but in the main, nothing. And I feel like I've been dropped into a film; I'm not actually part of the 'action', yet I can wander through the desolation and general conflagration. All the while yes, shaking my head. 

I'll get to the quote that begins this post in a minute, but before I do, I have to say this: what irks me far more than disagreement is disconnect. The absence of an honest back-and-forth based on agreed-to information. Dysfunction drives me nuts. Serial, systemic dysfunction all the moreso. 

The quote was offered up this week as a throwaway comment in a far more serious exchange. Prompting me to respond to the person thusly:

Please allow me to paraphrase: 'Unfortunately, it's the case with governments on all levels that there is a lack of appreciation for how the landscape has changed in terms of governance, in terms of access to information, in terms of the very dialogue that should exist between residents and their elected officials...as well as -in the case of municipal government- City Hall Staff.'

First off, although I don't take it personally myself, the use of 'social media' in the way you've used it comes across as a pejorative, no matter its strength. I've found that dismissive gestures lumping everything that rankles or otherwise makes City Staffers' jobs more 'trying', is part and parcel of how 'we're' dealt with in 'social media'. 

When in fact, even when admitting that the process is flawed, all that's being done is an ongoing correction of the default setting long in place regarding the public and information, that of 'Only as much as is required'. 

The truth is that while we live in the most information-rich time ever, there's still a pretty strong reluctance on the parts of 'those who administer' to have residents on-board as true collaborators, as partners in their own governance. 

But just like glaciers, those times are slowly receding. 

Secondly, I would hope that all elected officials and their support staff gain better understanding of the amount of frustration and distrust and cynicism the public feel in general towards City Hall. (No surprise; almost 60% of eligible voters chose not to in 2010.) People are fed up with obfuscation, with the perceived collusion with 'special interests', with the general lack of transparency and accountability they feel they're getting, and they're quite prepared to do what's necessary to access what's required for them to take their rightful place at the table. At the present time, I can easily name several situations that, once you peel back the protective PR mylar, reveal scenarios where these sentiments are easily seen: 

-The downtown Mac development at the BOE site

-The relocation of the BOE complex

-Charlton Hall and the Wentworth Street North Mission Services locations

-AEGD

Finally, there has to be a more highly developed appreciation for the speed at which people are receiving news in general, and from The City specifically. So, not to put too fine a point on it, the process of 'managing information' on the part of The City has to change. Doling out facts in dribs and drabs is a thing of the past. The turnaround time to response, to comment, to 'Letters to the Editor' is much, much shorter than it has been in the past, sometimes (via twitter, for example) broadcast for consumption before the person doling out the quote returns to their office. 

I understand completely any frustration you may have felt as a result of this particular situation unfolding as it has, but to put the blame on the shoulders of 'social media' would seem to be just a wee bit much, given all the particulars. (Especially as the crux of the discussion is a quote directly attributed to a City staffer by The Spec.)

In fact, I would go so far as to say this: if City Hall wants to prevent such occasions from resulting in the future, it needs to a) adopt a more engaging stance when it comes to 'What's going on in your neighbourhood', and b) keep in mind that from here on in, things are only moving forward, not backwards. There is no 'putting the genie back in the bottle.'

As I've stated over at Town Halls Hamilton: 

"Endeavouring to increase the relationship of engagement between residents, their communities and their city through town halls, and in doing so, to gradually change the landscape of local governance...creating a better Hamilton for all."

M Adrian Brassington