Meet the Tweeting Pothole That Annoys the Local Government Until It's Repaired

Citing its irritation with the city’s inability to maintain decent roads, a news agency in Panama City recently installed devices in local potholes that automatically tweet complaints to the public works department every time they are driven over. Meet El Hueco Twitero, literally “the tweeting hole,” whose Twitter account is currently all the rage in Panama because its complaints are being heard and potholes are disappearing. It’s a small coup for crowdsourcing, innovation, and the belief that all you have to do to get what you want is annoy someone with power.

Here’s El Hueco tweeting about meeting the mayor:

Finalmente conozco al alcalde @BlandonJose espero me de una mano para que el @MOPdePanama me preste atención https://t.co/wlXeRN5ktg

— El Hueco Twitero (@Elhuecotwitero) May 30, 2015

And here are some tweets from local Panamanians filtering their pothole complaints through the account:

@Elhuecotwitero tremendo crater en la entrada de la calle 11 Rio Abajo y después preguntan porque tantos choques pic.twitter.com/XN4CaKRteC

— Jaqueline Gonzalez (@jaquiignz) May 30, 2015

@TReporta @LuisCasis20 mire come esta esta calle Colón, Barriada San Martín sector el progreso @Elhuecotwitero pic.twitter.com/JicaBaFENK

— dayra camarena (@dayracamarena) May 29, 2015

Check out the video below to see how it works. Hopefully they'll bring these things to your hometown soon, mostly so you won't have to listen to your cranky uncle ranting about what bad roads are doing to his old Trans-Am. That'd be for the best.