Switzerland’s Federal Council is set to join the social media platform Instagram in October, in an attempt to connect with a younger audience. Around 86 percent of people aged 16 to 24 have a presence on the platform, meaning that the adventures of Switzerland’s president and executive will soon be shared with a large proportion of the country's young people.

Instagram account to show daily running of Federal Council

The Instagram account is expected to show the daily activities of the Swiss president and Federal Council. “The Instagram account will be that of the government, its decisions, its common activities and the files of importance for the [institution] as a whole,” Ursula Eggenberger, Head of Communications at the Federal Chancellery in Bern, told Tribune de Genève.

Several members of the council already have a presence on Instagram in a personal capacity, but the new account for the Federal Council is expected to showcase events and the actual day-to-day running of the council in a more lighthearted fashion than traditional media and press releases.

Swiss Federal Council also set to launch English Twitter account

10 new jobs have also been created at the Federal Chancellery as part of the new hip social media strategy. To fund the new hires, the government has given the account a budget of 300.000 Swiss francs. 

As well as a new Instagram account, the Federal Council has made the decision to branch out further on social media. The council will soon create a Twitter account to keep in touch with residents, alongside the traditional media (TV and radio) used at the moment. What's more, the council has decided that one of its Twitter accounts will be entirely in English, to help expats and internationals understand the inner workings of Switzerland's executive branch.