Clark breaks faith with Facebook users
By IntegrityBC
Premier Christy Clark’s Facebook page didn’t come anywhere close in December to meeting the high expectations that the premier’s office set out for the page itself, according to IntegrityBC.
Premier Clark’s page is being promoted with Facebook ads that promise: “I want to hear from you on how we can keep British Columbia great” and “Have ideas for making British Columbia even better? Like Premier Christy Clark’s Facebook page & join the conversation.”
But an analysis by IntegrityBC shows that of the 2,285 comments to Clark’s posts in December, the premier only conversed with users 24 times and just two of those comments addressed a real policy issue (classroom size).
Despite asking British Columbians to share their ideas or to join the conversation to make B.C. better, most of Clark’s posts in December focused on more banal subjects such as how to make Christmas turkey stuffing or if ET exists.
To the credit of those who have Liked her page, many nonetheless still tried to engage the premier on some of the more serious issues facing the province by making comments to unrelated posts such as Clark’s request for “a really silly gift” for her annual “Cutthroat Christmas” game.
The organization notes that a preliminary review of Clark’s January posts have indicated a jump in more substantive issues raised by the premier, but a continued failure to engage with those posting comments.
“If you’re asking for ideas, the least you can do is reply to them when they’re posted,” said IntegrityBC executive director Dermod Travis. “The premier seems to be missing the engagement part of social media.”
According to a November survey of 600 British Columbians by OraclePoll Research for IntegrityBC, only 22 per cent of respondents believed that “Christy Clark and BC Liberal politicians listened to people like me.”
IntegrityBC is a non-partisan organization championing accountability and integrity in BC politics. By empowering British Columbians, IntegrityBC hopes to change politics in BC letting citizens regain their trust in government.
