If people did not already spend a lot of time on TikTok, they will be spending more time on the app going through the brand-new city of Athens TikTok page.
On Aug. 22, the page boasted eight videos featuring topics such as youth soccer sign-ups, the city fireworks celebration and City Council ordinances.
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson was featured in one of the first videos introducing the page.
“(Athens residents) are going to be seeing a lot more content coming out of the city building and our government when it comes to providing you with information on the platform that you use most,” Patterson said.
The city announced the TikTok account June 6 in a news release on the city website.
“We’re bringing the heart of our city straight to your feed — from local events and behind-the-scenes city updates to highlights of our vibrant community and a whole lot of Athens charm,” the city wrote.
The new additions seem to be an attempt for the city to connect with some of Athens' younger residents, as well as the students at Ohio University’s campus.
Hunter Scoyne, a sophomore studying forensic chemistry, said she had not heard of the TikTok page, but thinks it is a good idea for the city.
“So many students use TikTok, and a lot of them follow the OU pages, especially if you’re a student here,” Scoyne said.
Scoyne, a Columbus, Ohio native, also shared what she hopes to see from the new city of Athens TikTok page.
“I think it would be nice to see events going on in the city as well as on Court Street,” Scoyne said. “I also like things that are short and grab your attention because I just scroll on TikTok forever.”
The TikTok account is not the only way the city has been updating things. They have also created a new AI chatbot, Benny the Athens Brick, for their website.
Although Benny the Athens Brick seems like a helpful addition to the city of Athens webpage, there may be a few issues that need tweaking with the programming.
For example, when asked “When was the city of Athens founded?” Benny the Brick responds with a message stating “I'm having trouble finding an answer. My capabilities are limited to finding information that either already exists on the City website or has been added to my knowledgebase,” even though the logo on the website says Athens 1797.
Although this seems like an exciting and efficient new addition to the city website, some concerns are being brought up by community members.
At an Aug. 4 Council meeting, community member Michael Bart expressed worry the chatbot was just an example of more money leaving Athens.
“It seems like a subscription service, just like we had for the trash cans and the parking meters, where we pay by the use, and the more we use it, the more expensive it’s going to get,” he said.
Concerns were also brought up at the meeting about the AI chatbot potentially stealing user information and using it maliciously, as well as the negative impact AI often has on the environment.
The city of Athens did not respond to The Post for comment.
