Emergent use of social media: A new age of opportunity for disaster resilience

Journal Article

Keim, Noji . 2012

• نوع عمل المنشور: Faculty
• الوسوم: technology, internet, disasters, Haiti
• المجلة \ الصحيفة: American Journal of Disaster Medicine
• رقم العدد: 1
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 6
• الصفحات: 47-54

مستخلص المنشور

Social media are forms of information and communication
technology disseminated through social interaction.
Social media rely on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks
that are collaborative, decentralized, and community
driven. They transform people from content consumers
into content producers. Popular networking sites such
as MySpace™, Facebook™,Twitter™, and Google™are
versions of social media that are most commonly used
for connecting with friends, relatives, and employees.
The role of social media in disaster management
became galvanized during the world response to the
2010 Haiti earthquake. During the immediate aftermath,
much of what people around the world were
learning about the earthquake originated from social
media sources. Social media became the new forum for
collective intelligence, social convergence, and community
activism. During the first 2 days following the
earthquake, “texting” mobile phone users donated more
than $5 million to the American Red Cross. Both public
and private response agencies used Google Maps™.
Millions joined MySpace™ and Facebook™ discussion
groups to share information, donate money, and offer
comfort and support. Social media has also been
described as “remarkably well organized, self correcting,
accurate, and concentrated,” calling into question
the ingrained view of unidirectional, official-to-public
information broadcasts. Social media may also offer
potential psychological benefit for vulnerable populations
gained through participation as stakeholders in
the response. Disaster victims report a psychological
need to contribute, and by doing so, they are better able 
to cope with their situation. Affected populations may
gain resilience by replacing their helplessness with dignity,
control, as well as personal and collective responsibility.
However, widespread use of social media also
involves several important challenges for disaster management.
Although social media is growing rapidly, it
remains less widespread and accessible than traditional
media. Also, public officials often view P2P communications
as “backchannels” with potential to spread
misinformation and rumor. In addition, in absence of
the normal checks and balances that regulate traditional
media, privacy rights violations can occur as people
use social media to describe personal events and
circumstances.