Social Media might not fix everything
Posted: March 16th, 2010 | Author: RedCandle Research | Filed under: Andrew | Tags: Census, Social Media, Twitter | No Comments »
While the 2010 census is beginning to find it’s way into Americans’ mailboxes the US Census Bureau has been hard at work incorporating modern tools into the process. However, the actual form is still a piece of paper that is physically mailed to citizens. But if the actual process of filling out the census is the same, it brings into question just how the Census Bureau is using things like social media. The official Twitter handle only has 3245 followers. The main page for the 2010 census is a multimedia experience filled with interactive maps, video and a blog written by director Robert M. Groves. A once over of site reveals that the Census Bureau is using these tools to essentially convince people that filling out the census form is not only safe but necessary. Considering recent outrage against the census itself, it’s not surprising that the Census Bureau is trying to reach out to as many people as possible. This approach might work on people who are already on board or on the fence, but is probably doing little to those who oppose it. Those people aren’t likely to follow the Census Bureau on Twitter or even take a look at their homepage. No, this is a job for the mainstream media and in this instance they are not pulling their weight. But as has been the case for years (some might say decades) the mainstream media does little more than report on the outcry against the census and not on the census itself.