Emergency Management And Social Media - Essay Example

?EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA The advent of new technologies, particularly computers, and the information explosion has brought so many changes, both good and bad, in the way people live nowadays. The fabrication of the World Wide Web or the internet gave birth to the foundation of social media, which is proliferating like mushrooms. Social media comes in various platforms and some of the most common platforms are the following: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Instagram, and many others. The junction of social networking sites and the mobile phone technologies, with the latest applications installable in most mobile phones, revolutionizes the way people communicate with and to each other (Castells, 2007), particularly during emergency situations. Today, the media, governmental institutions, and emergency management agencies have adopted a new type of online technology that will allow them to converse, interconnect, to work together, and disseminate information on a larger scope (Hjorth, 2009). There are no qualms in the fact that the way information is being distributed from one person to another is rapidly changing; that the backcloth of information has been revolutionized more than ever. Initially, social media is used for socializing with friends and other individuals of different nationalities, languages, race, color, etc. but now, it has taken a new role in the society, that is, to serve as a revolutionary tool in disseminating information during emergency situations. Considering the nature of social media, that is, a platform that enables individuals to channel a virtual communication with their family, friends, and acquaintances and even with strangers, it is a great tool to use during emergency situations. There are manifold reasons why social media is best and extremely helpful during emergency situations: (1) the scope or coverage; (2) the accessibility; (3) the rate at which information can be transmitted from one person to another or from one person to a group. First, social media is highly effective during emergency situation because of its scope and coverage. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA 2 Social media are platforms that allow people to make their own personal outline over the internet through different social networking sites (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Most social networking sites, especially Facebook and Twitter, allow users to include personal information on their profile. These information could include name, address, and contact numbers. This is particularly crucial in that location and contact numbers are highly significant data that can be used to track or locate individuals during emergency situations; and the huge scope of social media with its innovative scheme of processing and relaying information, could create a greater and punctual avenue for individuals who may be affected by emergency conditions like floods, fire, and other forms of disaster to be able to call for help and eventually receive timely assistance. The wide-ranging scope of social media has become an asset for both the people, the local, state, and national government, and the emergency management teams because it would be easier now for these agencies to track the extent of a disaster or any emergency; and for them to be able to provide an initial support to those who are in need. Indeed, more and more people nowadays are connected to at least one social media platform. In fact, “a survey we conducted here at the Red Cross found that almost a third of the population would use social media to let loved ones know they are safe”, says Wendy Harman (2012), Director of Social Strategy for the American Red Cross. Another important feature of social media is its accessibility. Social networking sites are now installed in most mobile technologies that provide a fresher way to communicate with others. This is remarkably innovatory in that mobile phones are more accessible than any other type of gadget. Also, it has multiple uses. It can be used to call someone, to send a text message to someone, and now, to communicate with others through social media. The convergence of social media and mobile phone technologies provided an easier way for the people to manage services EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA 3 in swapping personal or less-personal information in public domain, that is, the internet; aids in managing emergency situations; and helps emergency-blighted people to stay calm and focused, whether they are directly or indirectly affected by the emergency situation (Jilek, 2010). Furthermore, just like laptops and personal computers which are likewise very much accessible, mobile phone companies partners with telecommunication networks in providing consumers with perks and free access to social networking sites without having any load balance at all. During emergency situations, power outages are very much feasible to take place; if this happens, computer access to the internet becomes limited depending on how much power is left in the computer; conversely, mobile phone technologies take a longer time before it runs out of power so communication can still be done until help arrives. Also, social networks can allow the distribution of information to millions of people which is best during emergency situations. Information like weather conditions, warnings, evacuation sites, etc. can be disseminated using social networking sites through computers and mobile phones. Another interesting advantage in using social media during emergency situations is the rate at which message can be relayed from one person to another or from one social network user to a group. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are excellent tools in disseminating information instantaneously. Facebook has a chat box that allows user to exchange information with one of the user’s contacts which is an excellent way to contact family, friends and government authorities during emergencies, especially if there is an immediate need for rescue. Twitter is another excellent social media platform that enables its users to display short messages called “tweets” which are purposely fashioned to mimic the way personal conversations are being carried out. The good thing about twitter is that it is highly instantaneous not just in EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA 4 spreading messages or crucial information but also images and videos. But just like any other means of communication, social media has its own downside. Because of its high accessibility and the manner in which conversations are being done in social networking sites, oftentimes, they are used to spread hoax messages and wrong information. Every so often, the motives behind spreading faulty messages and information are to stir public attention and to cause panic to the masses, which is absolutely unhelpful during emergency situations. Also, the rate at which messages and information comes in and the number of data that a social networking site receives sometimes triggers confusion among users. Because of varied opinions from one person to another, there is an inevitable inaccuracy in the information disseminated on social networking sites. As a result, it creates problematic disarray on the people affected by certain emergency situations. Nevertheless, technology has affected transformation in the way emergency management is being performed in the scene. The arrival of a new platform of communication, that is, social media provided a revolutionary and systematic method for responding to emergency situations with the employment of social networking sites in the methods of acting on crisis and disasters. Social networking sites place so much ease and haste on the way information is being transmitted. As discussed earlier, social media has its own downside, that is, the accuracy of the information sometimes is rather imprecise. Emergency management team could balance the situation by acting as a virtual or online authority in providing the proper emergency procedures. To increase the public’s awareness of its authority, appropriate information dissemination is needed, which can also be executed and channeled through different social media platforms. References Boyd, D., & Ellison, N. (2007). Social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1). Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html Castells, M. (2007). Communication, power and counter-power in the network society. International Journal of Communication, 1. Retrieved from http://www.nabilechchaibi.com/resources/Castells%20-%20Communication,%20Power%20and%20Counter-Power.pdf Harman, W. (2012, July 03). How social media is shaping disaster response. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/dell/2012/03/07/how-social-media-is-shaping-disaster- response/ Hjorth, L. (2009). The big bang: an example of mobile media as new media. ACM Computers in Entertainment, 7(2). Retrieved from http://delivery.acm.org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.1145/1550000/1541899/a19-hjorth.pdf?key1=1541899&key2=8711163031&coll=DL&dl=ACM&ip=134.7.248.132&CFID=19377005&CFTOKE Jilek, B. (2010). Emergency notification/communication and twitter. Information Technology Interest Group, 17(3). Retrieved from http://infotech.cpcusociety.org/file_depot/0-10000000/0-10000/8110/folder/19725/InfoTech+Sept2010.pdf#page=3 Read More