Facebook just added a new politics-oriented feature: “Town Hall.” It’s a fun and simple way to learn more about your local government and connect with your representatives. Check out how it works and what it means below.
How Facebook Town Hall Works
Just go right to the website and enter your address to get a simple, easy-to-read list of your local, state and federal representatives, from your county council member all the way to the POTUS himself.
The service offers you the option to call, email, or check up on the specific Facebook page for each of these representatives.
Boosting Civic Engagement
Mashable reported on the service, explaining more about how it operates:
“The update means you’ll now be just clicks away from voicing your concern about what disturbs you about the Trump administration (like its attempt to quash the EPA, healthcare policy and net neutrality). […]
The feature is integrated into the Facebook News Feed. If you choose to like or comment on a post by one of your local representatives, you’ll see a way to contact your representative after the post.”
The result is likely to be a new, stronger, and more effective form of civic engagement, powered by the internet’s biggest social network. As of the fourth quarter of 2016, Facebook had 1.86 billion monthly active users. Which means that Facebook Town Hall represents perhaps the largest-scale political education of its kind.
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