A new analysis illustrates the robust ways that social media can be employed to inform and improve disaster operations, and it provides a framework that could help standardize and organize disaster social media uses.
Disaster social media users in the framework include communities, government, individuals, organizations, and media outlets. Fifteen distinct disaster social media uses were identified, ranging from providing and receiving disaster preparedness information to (re)connecting community members following a disaster.
"Ultimately, emerging communication technologies such as social media offer the potential for increased communication capacity, dependability, and interactivity during disasters and crises. Our proposed framework may allow practitioners, developers, and researchers to better capitalize on this potential" said Dr. J. Brian Houston, lead author of the Disasters article. "This better communication can protect lives and aid recovery."
More information: Houston, J. B., Hawthorne, J., Perreault, M. F., Park, E. H., Goldstein Hode, M., Halliwell, M. R., Turner McGowen, S. E., Davis, R., Vaid, S., McElderry, J. A. and Griffith, S. A. (2014), Social media and disasters: a functional framework for social media use in disaster planning, response, and research. Disasters. DOI: 10.1111/disa.12092
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