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Earlier this week on my FaceBook page, I posted my thoughts on the use of social-media blocking by elected officials.
The post has generated a fair bit of discussion, which is encouraging as many people have taken the time to express differing points of view. From my perspective, when there is a large amount of interest on an issue, it is one that citizens see as important.
On the surface, an elected official blocking someone through social media may not seem like a significant event.
However, for the growing population who do use social media, blocking denies a person their voice to be heard.
By extension, as social media increasingly has become a tool for citizens to hold elected officials to account, the careless use of the block button by elected officials has become an easy way out instead of answering a difficult or unpopular question.
I have even learned of a practice called pre-emptive blocking where groups of citizens may be blocked by an elected official they have never interacted with online.
We would never tolerate guilt by association off line, yet it has become an online practice by some elected officials and their senior staff.
To be clear, I will continue to defend the right of elected officials to practise whatever social media policies they feel most comfortable with. Likewise, personal attacks, profanity and threats on social media should not be tolerated.
At the same, I caution those who use the block button as a means to avoid accountability or debate. Social media ideally work both ways and citizens deserve the right to be heard.
On that note, I am suggesting that elected officials, and those media and pundits who cover politics, to consider a social media forgiveness campaign.
How about un-block (or un-mute) all those citizens you have blocked and give them a second chance to engage.
This might not work in all situations, but elected officials being exposed to more diverse views and being held to account in my view helps build a stronger democracy.
I welcome your comments, questions and concerns and can be reached online at [email protected] or call me off-line toll free at 1-800-665-8711.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
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