The Use of Social Media in Disaster Situations: Framework and Cases

View Sample PDF

Author(s): Guido Lang (City University of New York, USA)and Raquel Benbunan-Fich (City University of New York, USA)
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 14
Source title: Managing Crises and Disasters with Emerging Technologies: Advancements
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Murray Jennex (San Diego State University, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-0167-3.ch002

Keywords: Business Science Reference / Crisis Response and Management / Emergency & Disaster Management / Government & Law

Purchase

View on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information.

Abstract

Recent disasters highlight the importance of social media supporting critical information gathering and dissemination efforts by members of the public. Given that disasters pose unique challenges and social media are evolving rapidly, how can one compare the effectiveness of social media in different disaster situations? Drawing from prior work on e-participation, this paper proposes a novel framework for social media use based on four key modules: selection, facilitation, deliberation, and aggregation. A comparative analysis of social media use following a man-made disaster (the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy) and during a natural disaster (the 2009 Britain blizzard) exemplifies the value of the proposed framework. Future research can build on and leverage the present work by analyzing and incorporating additional cases on the use of social media in disaster situations.

The IRMA Community

Research IRM

The Use of Social Media in Disaster Situations: Framework and Cases

Purchase

Abstract

Related Content

IRMA Sponsors