9 - Social Media Uses During Disasters - Michael Newland

Michael Newland

Reference:

Lindsay, B. R. (2012). Social Media and Disasters: Current Uses, Future Options and Policy Considerations. Journal of Current Issues in Media & Telecommunications; Vol. 2 Issue 4, Pg. 287-297.

Theme:

Social Media is growing quickly and has become a great tool for disaster preperation and information.

Summary:

·         In the last five years social media have played an increasing role in emergencies and disasters.

·         The use of social media for emergencies and disasters may be conceptualized as two broad categories.

·         “First, social media can be used somewhat passively to disseminate information and receive user feedback via incoming messages, wall posts, and polls (Lindsay, 2012).”

·         “A second approach involves the systematic use of social media as an emergency management tool (Lindsay, 2012).”

·         A 2009 American Red Cross study found that social media is the fourth most popular source of emergency information.

·         “Instances of inaccurate and false information may be an inherent problem, given the nature of social media platforms and the number of people disseminating information (Lindsay, 2012).”

·         “Social media appear to be making inroads into emergency management for a variety of reasons. For one, accurate, reliable, and timely information is vital for public safety before, during, and after an incident. As people continue to embrace new technologies, use of social media will likely increase (Lindsay, 2012).”

Application to Lesson:

The lesson this week was about social media and disasters. This article is about how more and more people are using social media to share and obtain information during a disaster.

Application to Emergency Services:

Social Media allows emergency agencies to quickly get information out to the masses. It is now much easier to coordinate relief efforts and to provide public with information that they need to know.