Saxon authorities try out new social networks

More Tiktok and WhatsApp, less X? The Saxon authorities are open to new ways of reaching citizens online. "As the social media landscape is constantly changing, we regularly check which platforms are suitable for communication measures," said Saxony's government spokesperson Ralph Schreiber on request.

The departments decide independently which platforms they use for communication, explained Schreiber. The State Chancellery is not currently considering withdrawing from platforms such as X. The government headquarters is already active on Tiktok with the location campaign "So geht sächsisch". A total of 25 channels are managed, including LinkedIn and WhatsApp.

Ministry of Education is increasingly relying on LinkedIn and WhatsApp

The Ministry of Education has also long since made its first attempts on Tiktok: in 2023, the authority worked with influencers to recruit new teachers. A continuation or expansion is planned, spokesperson Dirk Reelfs said on request. The channel with the greatest reach is still Facebook, followed by Instagram.

A departure from platform X is regularly reviewed, according to Reelfs. The development into a "right-wing echo chamber" under the new owner Elon Musk encourages fake news, hatred and hate speech. However, the network allows users to communicate in real time and is an important crisis network. According to the ministry, it is increasingly relying on the new channels LinkedIn and WhatsApp as a replacement.

Dresden relies on threads and WhatsApp instead of X

Dresden is already one step ahead: "Since February 2024, we have stopped communicating on X and instead communicate on threads and WhatsApp," the city announced on request. Tiktok is being closely monitored, as according to a study, the platform is one of the four most important apps for young people. However, the city has so far only been active there as part of individual campaigns.

The city's health department produced Tiktok videos on the topic of AIDS prevention together with the AIDS counseling service. However, continuous and costly media production is necessary for an independent channel. However, there were not enough resources for this. Instead, the focus is on Instagram, where 16,000 users now follow the city. There are 40,000 followers on Facebook. The channel plays a particularly important role in crisis situations.

Zwickau will remain on X for the time being

At the beginning of January, Chemnitz also decided to stop using X and only use it in the event of a disaster. "The decision at the time was based on many bots, a lack of discussion culture and false reports that could no longer be corrected," said spokesperson Matthias Nowak. The city has not yet joined Tiktok, but is considering recruiting trainees via the platform.

The city of Zwickau's central platforms are Facebook and Instagram. Event information, important construction measures and photos of events are posted there. Facebook in particular also plays an important role in crisis communication, for example during floods, explained spokesperson Mathias Merz. There are currently no plans to become active on Tiktok. Conversely, there are no plans to withdraw from X.