Social media, email, text messaging and other communication technologies are transforming government into a more efficient, effective and dynamic process. Whether it’s an elected official using Twitter to address constituents or a city using a Facebook page to make public announcements, government entities and elected officials are becoming more accessible and connected to constituents. And therein lie today’s nuanced First Amendment related challenges.

Court cases and news headlines highlight the controversy about what government entities and elected officials may and may not do to regulate the public’s participation in their social media accounts. May elected officials unfriend people from their Facebook pages or unfollow, block or mute people from their Twitter accounts? How should policies and procedures be drafted regarding the public’s use of an elected official’s or a government entity’s social media account in order to pass constitutional muster?

Forum Classification Is the Determining Factor