Social Media & Social Equity

Social media has fundamentally changed the way we interact and connect with other people, and the technology will continue to be prevalent even after its beginning stages (such as Myspace and AIM) left the spotlight. The dominance of online communities like Facebook reveal a new social universe, but as a planner – I have to ask – can social media help create social equity?

Now, I’m  not referring to the newest definition of the term, which refers to the brand reputation of companies online, but rather the term in its planning sense. Can we use this new technology to further connect people and put everyone on the same playing field? Or is this only strengthening the economic – and now digital – divide between many parts of the world?

Of course, Twitter and Facebook campaigns like KONY2012 have shown us how social media can spotlight a global issue, but creating awareness is only the first step in creating equity. Furthermore, creating awareness of an issue not only puts that issue in cyberspace, it puts your organization out there as well. (KONY2012 was, and should be, questioned about where their doubled revenue is being spent.) So, we should be prepared to answer more than questions on the issue, but about our process.

And the catch with social media is: people can ask questions anytime, from anywhere. The engagement process is no longer restricted by a 9 – 5 window, which can help or hurt our goals depending on how it is used. While posting a tweet takes seconds, reading and responding to feedback takes much longer; those who want to be active in the online social sphere need to be constantly vigilant in order to limit the spread of misinformation.

That seems like a lot of work for a small advocacy group. Can we really rely on our social media campaigns to produce action?

The marketing world says, Yes. According to t2social.com, “Influence on social media translates into influence on decision making.” And focusing on specific online communities helps build targeted outreach and influence very quickly,. So, start smaller and work towards building a following, while remembering that “every tweet, every blog post, every Facebook response… and the subsequent following you receive… is a small investment into the future.”

So – circling back to my original point – we should be invested in using social media as a marketing and outreach tool. And, conceivable, our efforts will produce action and influence; be it one person at a time. The Planning Pool states that social media is “empowered participation” with varying levels: sharing, cooperation, and collective action. The article also argues that social media has fundamentally changed the way commons – either physical or digital (ie a park or data) – are managed; we, as the public, have much more power over the commons than we had before.

At the end of the day, true social equity is only going to result from physical action, but I believe that planners can use social media technology in innovative ways to strengthen commitment to equity issues, and to reach audiences beyond our normal capability.

Mobile Apps for Urban Planning

Anyone with a smartphone can tell you their favorite app – whether it be a game like Angry Birds or a tool like Google Maps – and anyone with a mobile device has multiple apps for multiple uses.  In addition to using mobile devices as research tools (see previous post), mobile apps provide opportunities for planners to not only collect data, but also share data and engage citizens in the planning process.

According to Jennifer Evans-Cowley, apps provide “the opportunity to engage new audiences, because a lot of people don’t have time to go to a public meeting.”  She goes on to say, “The nice thing about social media is really that the time frame of participating is quite brief. You can put in your two cents without necessarily putting in a whole dollar.”

Evans-Cowley’s research on this topic was published in 2011, entitled: There’s an App for That: Mobile Applications for Urban Planning.  Evans-Cowley and student Brittany Kubinski also surveyed planners on their use of mobile apps in 2012, reporting that the most commonly used apps on a daily basis were social media-based, such as Facebook and Twitter. Note taking apps like Prezi were also popular. Future needs described included apps that provide census data, location of healthy food stores, and APA awarded site locations.

The following are some apps listed from Planetizen and Cyburbia that planners should keep on their radar:

• Transportation – Railbandit: mobile app for light rail in US & Canada. It displays information on upcoming trains and, if your phone is GPS equipped, you can also track yourself on the train

• Economic Development – ESRI BAO: From their site: “With the free BAO for iOS app, you can access key demographic and market facts about any location in the U.S., using your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch”

• Public Participation – Accela Mobile 311: This iphone app enables users to take an active role in their community by requesting services or reporting incidents to their local government agency.

• Zoning – ZONER: From their site: “Zoner BETA gives you the ability to calculate the maximum buildable floor area for your property in seconds. Just enter the zoning values and let it work for you.”

Check out even more apps here.

Social Media: Keeping Us Connected in Times of Crisis

I decided to write this post in honor of my favorite city and all my family who lives there.

While there may never be a way we can fully avoid tragedy in our lives, there are ways we can help others through it, and that’s exactly what many people did in Boston yesterday. I am always struck by the kindness and heroism displayed during events like this, and many of these acts were shared over Facebook and Twitter as encouragement to others. People who were physically in the area responded to help, and – because of technology – people who were not physically in the area were able to respond as well.

A spreadsheet publicly hosted by Google was created after the bombings to help out-of-town runners and families find a place to stay. Over 6,000 entries were made.  Google also set up a person-finder to help connect those looking for loved ones and those with information about their location. The Red Cross has a similar website called Safe and Well in which users can list themselves as “safe and well” after a disaster and search for loved ones.

Many used Twitter and Facebook to let loved ones know they were ok, since the airwaves were congested with an overwhelming number of calls. Local restauarant El Pelon Taqueria used Twitter to let people know they were open for business and were offering cold drinks and a place to charge cell phones.

People are also banding together on Twitter to declare that they will run the Boston Marathon next year in honor of the victim’s of the bombing.