With Facebook as its sole social media platform, the city of Buellton hopes to double its outreach efforts online with an upcoming Instagram account.
During its Jan. 11 meeting, the Buellton City Council discussed the new approach and its social media policy in general. Prior to the hearing, the policy remained unaltered since its adoption in 2019, according to City Manager Scott Wolfe.
“We would not expand the social media platforms beyond Facebook without expressed City Council consent,” Wolfe said at the meeting. “I am told by both our vice mayor and some of my staff—who are a little more social media literate than I am—that the addition of the Instagram platform to the city’s social media offerings is a very simple process, will not require additional significant staff time, and integrates well into the existing Facebook program we have.”
The Instagram topic was agendized as part of a list of City Council priorities for 2024, discussed in December, according to the staff report.Â
Staff recommended that the city start with Instagram because Facebook owns it and therefore allows posts to be shared on both platforms simultaneously, often automatically.
“It’s all encompassing,” Vice Mayor David Silva said, in support of the city joining Instagram based on the Facebook synergy features and the potential to reach younger demographics via social media than past years.
“I also do want to say the kids are not on Facebook anymore,” added Silva, who described most Facebook users as generally ages 40 and older. “[Instagram’s] just a good way to invite more awareness.”
Councilmember John Sanchez initially opposed the idea.
“I personally don’t see the need for Instagram to widen or double our exposure,” Sanchez said. “Don’t we have a public forum on our website?”
Wolfe explained that the city’s current use of Facebook and potential use of Instagram in the future are not intended to provide any “public forum for discussion by the public,” while the city’s website does have a portal for public feedback.
“As a matter of fact, we turn off—to the degree Facebook allows us to, which is not 100 percent—the ability for them to comment,” said Wolfe, who described the city’s social media approach as providing a “one-way conduit of information from the city to the community,” without an option for the public to comment online, unless through email or the city’s official website.
“What’s been brought to our attention lately is that, as some of us get older, we find that the younger generations don’t like Facebook and will use a different platform,” Wolfe said. “At this time, the bulk seems to be going to Instagram. So in order to maintain the city’s ability to reach the most residents, adding Instagram is a good way to increase that reach without increasing the demand on staff time to do that.”
Mayor David King supported the shift and agreed with Wolfe and Silva about the app attracting a different audience than Facebook.
“The thing is the younger generation—everybody his age and younger—uses Instagram,” King said, while pointing at Silva.
“Are you saying I’m old?” Councilmember Elysia Lewis joked, eliciting laughter from many attendees of the meeting. “Excuse me, sir.”
The City Council ultimately agreed to direct staff to hop on Instagram on behalf of the city with an informal 4-0 poll. Councilmember Hudson Hornick was absent.Â
This article appears in Jan 18-28, 2024.