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When Government Agencies ‘Troll Back’ on Social Media

Some government agencies are starting to apply the principles of trolling on social media as a means to achieve the greater good.

Ah, the social media troll. Every government agency has one ... or maybe it's more like six.

There are many not-so-nice things we can say about trolls on social media sites, but there are also some things we can learn from them. After all, trolls are great at getting your attention, and can even be effective at getting their messages across.

Some government agencies have taken these lessons to heart and are starting to apply the principles of trolling on social media as a means to achieve the greater good. This “trolling back” generally takes two forms: First is chiming in on a citizen’s online posting, even when that posting is not directed at the agency. Second is publicly shaming individuals on social media for violating laws and/or engaging in activity that could endanger others.

Here are a few examples:

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1. In March 2016, the police department in Granite Shoals, Texas, posted a fake news alert on Facebook advising citizens: “If you have recently purchased meth or heroin in Central Texas, please take it to the local police or sheriff department so it can be screened with a special device. DO NOT use it until it has been properly checked for possible Ebola contamination!”

A woman, shown at left, actually fell for the joke, and her mugshot has since graced numerous national publications (including this one!).

2. In Toronto, Canada, it is common for the police department to share images of illegally parked cars. In fact, citizens have also jumped in to help the Toronto Police and 311 Toronto by using social media to share other violations:

@TorontoPolice @TorontoComms pls deal w parking officers @ queen/lansdowne. Ticketed w visible permit 4x this month pic.twitter.com/kjtZwYUFaz — Molly McGlynn (@therealmollymcg) May 11, 2016
3. At the federal level, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has discovered the shocking reality that way too many people brag about texting and driving on their social media accounts — sometimes while driving! The NHTSA has turned these online occurrences into easy opportunities for reiterating public safety messaging against texting and driving:

Not worth it, @ari_wilson. Stay off your phone and #justdrive — NHTSA (@NHTSAgov) April 22, 2016
It is easy to see from these examples that “trolling back” might ruffle some feathers. Is it OK for a police department to demonstrate a sense of humor and fake an outlandish news release? Should we be shaming people for parking illegally? What right does government have to listen in and reply back to an individual’s social media posts?

On one hand, engaging in these types of social media campaigns may get an agency in trouble. But on the other hand, it’s hard to argue against using activity that’s already out in the public to stifle illegal acts and improve public safety.

Agencies must of course “stay on message,” and ensure that all communications are in compliance with social media policy and requirements such as public records. Individuals breaking the law don’t like to get called out, but getting “tweeted at” might just be the mildest form of punishment you can imagine. And for those of us doing our best to abide by and respect the law, a government agency looking out for our safety is one type of troll we should be able to get behind.

Join our May 5 webinar with the city of Margate, Fla., to learn how to protect your agency's social pages from trolls.