Local Governments Leverage Selfie Culture with #CityHallSelfie Campaign

Authors

  • Sarah K. Maben Texas Christian University
  • Cristi C. Horton Tarleton State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32473/jpic.v8.i1.p26

Abstract

Hashtag campaign #CityHallSelfie asks local government employees and residents to celebrate by snapping selfies in front of city hall. This study analyzes five years of the campaign, which is part advocacy, member engagement, and marketing. Through the lens of framing and social presence theories, the study looks at how tweets and selfies represent levels of government-resident relationships and short narratives of self, pairs, and individuals. Findings show a nearly equal presentation of short narratives of groups and individuals, as well as a 98% function of simply sharing information, the lowest level of government-resident relationships. Selfies highlighted the individuals who run city departments, placing faces to the “city hall” image that can be reduced to a bureaucratic building.

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Published

2024-05-30

Issue

Section

Original Research