The City of Communication, Seoul
Social Metropolitan City
Most public transportation users used to read books or newspapers, but are now frequently seen using smartphones. What do you think they do with their smartphones? A survey showed that most smartphone users spend a lot of time sending and receiving information through social media. Social media refers to the media of Social Network Services (SNSs) such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. People can send news about themselves to or receive information from their friends. Furthermore, they can easily access information that interests them and freely exchange individual opinions.
Seoul already expected that social media would become a ‘good channel to close the gap of thought among people and share various opinions’, so has been preparing for it. This is because all the policies of Seoul start with the citizens, and thus social media that helps communication with individual citizens will be one of most suitable communication means. The 2008 Digital City Administration of Seoul started from the same idea.
Social Media for Communication
Seoul Metropolitan Government has made efforts to communicate with citizens through different social media. Of course, the feedback was not that enthusiastic from the beginning. Starting from the first blog established in September 2008, however, Seoul Metropolitan Government has discovered different social media channels and used them for smart and faster communication with citizens, resulting in trust and active engagement of them in the city administration.
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- Listen to citizens’ opinions - In-media information sharing rate: 65% - Twitter has been most effective in communicating breaking news and information related to the city administration. |
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- Show sympathy with citizens - In-media sympathy expression rate: 78.8% - There has been high sympathetic feedback on sociocultural events and flexible expression of sympathy has contributed to an increased number of fans. |
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- Share emotive images and videos - In-media sympathy expression rate: 97.1% - There has been high interest in posts related to events in Seoul. |
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Kakao Story | - Spread information about the city - In-media sympathy expression rate: 48.6% - Comment rate: 37.4% - City administration marketing posts drove many replies while non-administrative posts received more likes and sharing. |
It is somewhat natural for profit-oriented businesses to use social media as a part of marketing. However, it has been a meaningful challenge to launch a new space for an organization and citizens to communicate by using social media not for profit, but for the safety and convenience of the citizens. As a result, Seoul Metropolitan Government was awarded with the ‘Korea SNS Grand Prize,’ which is granted to a business or organization that contributes to active communication which encourages desirable SNS culture.
Communication 123
To become the ‘Social Metropolitan City’ as a communication hub, Seoul Metropolitan Government has used websites and social media as well as implemented the project ‘Communication 123’ to effectively notify citizens and share its policies.
* Seoul Communication Partner: Civil communication experts (about 5,000 people in 11 groups) working in Public Communications Bureau to communicate with the citizens through city administration marketing activities such as providing information related to the city administration
• Implies 3 steps (Listening → Reflection on policies and Change → Sharing and spread) of communication Color
•Implies creation of different policies based on the different opinions of citizens and sharing and spreading them
- Number • 1: The citizens
- Number • 2: and Seoul Metropolitan Government
- Number • 3: create policies together to change the world.
Future of Seoul as the City of Communication
Despite initial concern, it has been successful to open new social media channels including Kakao Story, Instagram and Facebook as spaces for two-way communication as well as direct participation from citizens instead of one-way announcements. With increasingly more citizens communicating with Seoul Metropolitan Government through all social media, now over 20% of Seoul population can be reached through SNS. The citizens have started to respond to our communication efforts. It has offered opportunities to more kindly explain about the city administration, know what the citizens really want, and take actions more quickly. Seoul Metropolitan Government will make efforts to become a smarter and faster “City of Communication” while remembering that the citizens are the key, and their opinions are the city administration, and communicate more actively.