The Government Has an Instagram Problem
Social media connects us to our officials, but much of what they say will be lost to history
There have always been stories left untold in Washington, but the ubiquity of social media is creating a new void in our collective memories. The digital records created by today’s politicians may go missing unless our institutions undergo a major update.
Here’s one example: Younger politicians, like congress members-elect Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, often connect with their constituents through Instagram Stories. But the updates they share become inaccessible to the public after 24 hours, unless a “Highlights” feature to save them is toggled on. As new members of Congress come to the Capitol, the ways they tell their own stories using the platforms of the present is creating newfound urgency around archiving the historical record for the future.
I am not a neutral party in this debate. As the deputy director of the Sunlight Foundation, I called for technology companies to create and publish political advertising files online, and worked with congressional legislators to draft the Honest Ads Act.
Over the past year, I have continued to watchdog the technology industry’s opaque self-regulatory efforts, calling attention to the void of…
