The Social Security Administration (SSA) on Thursday told employees that it would be shifting from its traditional forms of communication, to instead interact with the public and the press on social media.

The move is a substantial change from societal norms, which previously saw federal agencies communicate through press releases and "dear colleague" letters. It also comes as the SSA restructures itself to focus on front-line positions.

SSA Midwest-West Regional Commissioner Linda Kerr-Davis informed employees of the change in a call, according to the Federal News Network. 

"The agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public ...This will become our communication mechanism," Kerr-Davis said. "If you’re used to getting press releases and Dear Colleague letters, you might want to subscribe to the official SSA X account, so you can stay up to date with agency news. I know this probably sounds very foreign to you — it did to me as well — and not what we are used to, but we are in different times now.”

The change comes as the agency looks to downsize its staff, as part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce wasteful government spending. 

The agency is expected to reassign approximately 700 employees to field office positions nationwide, which will include downsizing regional offices from about 550 employees to approximately 70 employees. The changes will not impact phone support.

The changes are expected to take effect on April 14.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.