Social Media Becomes One of the Most Effective Ways to Learn About Natural Disaster Response and Recovery

With social media regarded as one of the major ways in which people communicate with each other, social networks have become a primary source for news and information. With this notion, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are serving the role for spreading breaking news about natural disasters. Since these websites are among the first to become a source of instantaneous news, they ultimately help communicate crucial information to large number of people because these sites are visited by millions of users on a regular basis.

A collection of trending hashtags during a tornado
that occurred in Dallas, Texas, in 2012.

Since millions of people use some form of social media in their daily lives, it’s no wonder that it has become one of the most effective ways to learn about natural disasters. Many natural disaster response and recovery organizations, such as the American Red Cross, utilize social media in order to communicate with other members, as well as the whole world, about information regarding current or potential natural disaster hazards. Overall, by using social media as the primary means to broadcast information regarding natural disasters, individuals around the world are more inclined to learn more about the victims of a disaster, the magnitude of a disaster, and the first-hand disaster accounts from the victims.

Social media becomes the new face for natural disaster response and recovery organizations

According to a University of San Francisco survey, more than 70% of people in natural disaster situations use social media to let their friends and families know about their situation. This statistic illustrates that the use of social media in responding to natural disasters is becoming a key component to emergency response organizations.

One such organization is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which utilizes 3 Facebook accounts and 34 Twitter accounts in order to quickly share information to its followers. Shayne Adamski, a senior manager of the digital engagement at FEMA, states that millions of Americans use social media every day to check in on friends and families, learn about current events, and share their experiences with others. With FEMA, social media enables them to quickly push such information to the public—a feat that has not been possible on such a wide scale until recently.

Another organization, called Humanity Road, specializes in using social media in order to provide information before, during, and after natural disasters. First, Humanity Road uses social networking sites, such as Twitter, to collect and confirm vital reports from people in need. Next, the organization alerts the proper first responders and aid agencies, such as the American Red Cross, to facilitate help to those who have been affected. For example, during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Humanity Road used its social networking sites by broadcasting information about methods that people can use to prepare for the disaster.

Chao Gao, a graduate student from the University of Maryland who studies natural disasters, believes social media is useful because it is an efficient way to quickly share information to a large audience. Consequently, a majority of natural disaster response and recovery organizations use social media because of its ability to disseminate information faster than other forms of media. As such, these organizations are more inclined to such sites like Twitter because its ability to instantaneously provide information to the public; the quicker an individual who is at risk can receive the information, the more likely they are to avoid any imminent dangers from a natural disaster.

Compared to other forms of media, social media is preferred by many people who seek information about natural disasters

During time of disasters, social media users are even more active online, increasingly turning to sites such as Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date information. For example, after the 2011 Japanese tsunami, there were more than 5,500 tweets per second regarding information about the disaster, with a majority of the tweets from the victims themselves that shared information about the magnitude of the destruction.

Social media, however, is not only used by individuals who seek to share information during disasters; the public increasingly expects emergency response organizations to monitor and respond to natural disasters by using social media to post information. As such, a 2010 American Red Cross survey found that an alarming 75% of 1,058 respondents expected help to arrive within an hour if they posted a request on a social media site. With such organizations using social media as the primary means for broadcasting natural disaster information around the world, many social media users prefer to check sites such as the American Red Cross’ Twitter and Facebook as opposed to other forms of media, like the news on T.V. or other news websites.

According to Gao, social media is “more direct” compared to broadcasted news on T.V. or news websites because it provides more intimate first-hand accounts from victims who are suffering from natural disasters. When an individual relies on information from broadcasts on T.V. and news websites, they are only getting a general overview of how the natural disaster is affecting the victims. In hindsight, social media provides an extra step; Gao considers social media as a more “interactive” approach to help others, therefore, becomes “more direct” because people are inclined to help the victims, such as providing donations, seeking first-hand accounts from the victims, and finding and sharing information with others who follow them on their respective social media sites. With other forms of media, this interactive ability is nonexistent, therefore viewers of news on T.V. and online only learn a few general facts about what is going during a natural disaster, as opposed to directly learning about a victim's first-hand account through social media. As such, information directly from a victim can be more reliable than these other forms of media.

Although social media can help disseminate information quickly, it can also be a site for false information

Social media, albeit a source of quick information, can also be a double-edged sword when it is used to spread misinformation. Some people do not heavily rely on social media because they believe it allows people to publish misleading or faulty information to a large audience. For example, after Hurricane Sandy, a major rumor stated that FEMA and other natural disaster response organizations would give out $300 food stamps to those who have lost power.

FEMA, however, attempts to mitigate this problem by developing a method that helps reduce the amount of misinformation that is spread throughout various social networking sites. Dubbed the “rumor control”, FEMA uses this section on their respective social media sites to debunk rumors posted on Facebook and Twitter. In the aforementioned example, FEMA responded with a post on its website saying “This is FALSE”, and then providing phone numbers for victims to call in order to find out what kind of assistance is available to them.

Gao states his trepidations regarding misinformation from various social media sites, believing that it is difficult to trust a stranger on Twitter who requires help during a natural disaster. False information from strangers can be in the form of those who beg for large amounts of donations, stating that they have been seriously affected by a natural disaster, but in reality, have not affected at all. He begs individuals who desire to help those who have been affected to do their research and find more information before they donate money online. In doing so, these people would avoid any fraudulent occurrences in which "false victims" attempt to beg and steal money from kind strangers. In hindsight, if a close friend or family member needs assistance, Gao encourages people to quickly respond to those who need help, which illustrates a positive aspect of social media.

A pie chart illustrating people who would be willing
to use social media during natural disasters.
Note. Data attained from American Red Cross.

The positives that occur when individuals use social media during natural disasters ultimately outweigh the negatives. Although there is a slight chance of a person who could solicit money from kind strangers, a majority of social media users are still depending on sites like Facebook and Twitter to learn more about natural disasters and its victims. According to a survey by the American Red Cross, more than half of its responders would be willing to use social media during natural disasters, with the primary goal of letting loved ones know that they are safe. In addition, the younger generation is more likely to not only request assistance through social media, but help victims of natural disasters, regardless of their whereabouts.

These statistics are indicative of how much social media is evolving; since many people are more inclined to use social media to help other people, the victims of natural disasters are more likely to receive assistance from strangers around the world. Rewind a few decades ago, victims of natural disasters would wait days upon days for help, with some people not even receiving any assistance from first responders. With the help of social media, spreading information to a large audience is instantaneous, which can quickly help victims of natural disasters and save a lot of lives in the process. Therefore, social media is gradually becoming one of the most effective ways to learn about natural disaster response and recovery because of its ability to instantaneously share life saving information with a large audience.

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“With the help of social networking sites, the U.S. immediately provides $20 million dollars in donations for Typhoon Haiyan victims”

Although the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan ended in November 11, the destruction it left behind will cause many years of physical and emotional damage to the victims who were directly affected. With at least 10,000 people dead, more than 12,000 people injured, and about 1,000 people missing, the entire Filipino community is struggling pick themselves up after one of the most devastating tropical storms in recent years. With the lack of communication between the Filipino people and their government, the victims are now turning to their social media accounts as a way to carry out requests to anyone in the world who is willing to help donate food and money for the victims.

Typhoon Haiyan victims use their mobile devices to contact
their loved ones around the world,

With millions of Filipinos lacking the basic necessities—food, water, and shelter—some are now using sites such as Facebook and Twitter as a means to communicate to the world around them, asking not only for prayers during their times of turmoil, but also donations in the form of food and money. In the end, their efforts have not been in vain; in fact, within the first week after the typhoon struck, many Americans have donated to a plethora of online donations sites, producing more than $20 million dollars in donations to the victims. In addition, many online social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, are providing direct links to various donation websites on their respective homepages as a way to raise awareness to their users.

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During times of natural disasters, social networking sites continue to quickly help raise awareness to people around the world. In turn, this awareness has help raised a lot of donations to the victims who suffered, ultimately illustrating that sites such as Twitter and Facebook are multifaceted; that is, using them not only to communicate to loved ones and friends, but to also reach out to the world in times of desperate need.

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Social Networking Websites Help Users Connect With the World Around Them Through the Means of Communicating With Others

Social networks—defined as the use of internet websites in which users have the ability to freely interact with one another through various forms of multimedia—has become one of the most pervasive forms of communication within the last century. Within the realm of social media, users can utilize a synthesis of novel words, visuals such as pictures and videos, and even audio recordings, in order to engage in person-to-person conversations. Such websites are attuned to a plethora of unique audiences, manifesting in countless forms of social networks such as blogs, forums, wikis, podcasts, and many more.

SixDegrees.com Becomes the First Recognized Modern Social Network Website

Six Degrees allowed people
to freely communicate with
friends and other social groups.

Created in 1997, the first modern social network website was Six Degrees, which permitted users to create a profile and make friends with other users. This website allowed users to create individual profiles, make small social groups, and search and invite other friends to join the site. At the pinnacle of its popularity, approximately one million user profiles were made, allowing many people to interact with one another. However, the founders of this website became persistent in trying to get as many users as possible, constantly reminding people to refer as many friends into the website with no incentive whatsoever. This encouragement led to the downfall and shutdown of this website in 2001; many users complained about the spamming of membership invitations in their e-mails, thus, causing many people to delete their profiles in order to cease the spam.

Friendster Arises as the Next Major Social Network Site, Emphasizing the Concept of Discovering Friends and Friends-of-Friends In Order to Expand Individual Social Networks

Friendster's "Circle of Friends" concept
attempted to connect as many people as possible
through common interests and friends.

Developed in 2002, Friendster, or the “granddaddy of social networks”, became the next major social networking website, with 3 million users signing up within 3 months. Utilizing the “degrees of separation” concept from Six Degrees, the website was led by the “Circle of Friends” idea, allowing people to discover friends, and then friends of their friends, and so on in order to expand each user’s individual social network. The ultimate goal of Friendster was to create an online community that allowed its users to meet in a safe place other than in real-life. It attempted to match users to other users with the same interests and friends, thus, connecting people based on the assumption that friends-of-friends would have a better chance at connecting rather than two complete strangers. Currently, since the site lost many of its users due to other emerging networks, Friendster strayed from its original intent and is now attempting to become an online gaming website.

Unique Profile Customization Abilities Makes Myspace More Popular than Friendster

MySpace allowed users to completely
customize their profiles, such as adding
unique layouts and music players.

MySpace followed and surpassed Friendster in 2003, ultimately gathering 90 million profiles within a short period of time. The major reason why MySpace became popular, especially towards the younger audience, was because it allowed its users complete customization over their profiles; with embedded music, videos, and customizable layouts, each user’s profile is unique, giving a sense of individuality that many social network sites failed to develop. Borrowing the same networking ideas from Friendster, MySpace allowed its users to communicate through public comments posted on their profiles, as well as private messages, bulletin posts, and blog posts. In addition, MySpace introduced MySpace IM in 2006, an instant messaging client which allowed users to instantly chat with friends. As of now, MySpace is catering towards the music world, revamping its site to help showcase up-and-coming artists around the world.

With an Easier and Simpler User Interface, Facebook Becomes Today’s Leading Social Networking Website by Appealing to a Wide Range of Users

Facebook borrows aspects from preceding social networking
sites, such as customization of individual profiles, connecting
with friends, and the creation of small social groups.

Facebook, which launched in 2004, was created by Mark Zuckerberg with the original intent for Harvard college students to connect with each other. After surpassing MySpace as the leading social networking website in 2006, Facebook currently has 1.1 billionusers worldwide, with the number of new users exponentially growing each year. One reason as to why Facebook became successful is because it appealed to a wide range of users; from older to younger generations, from business professionals to college students, the website has a plethora of uses that accustom to each individual's purpose.

MySpace, which lost many of its users because of Facebook, only appealed to the younger audiences, who quickly grew out of the “customization and individualization” aspects rather quickly. Furthermore, Facebook also had a simpler and cleaner user interface, which made using the website much easier than other preceding social networking sites, such as Six Degrees and Friendster, which many users found to be cumbersome. Now, Facebook borrows a lot of successful aspects from past social networking sites, such as adding instant messaging client and customization of individual profiles (borrowed from MySpace), connecting with friends and suggestions to friends of friends (borrowed from Friendster), and also permitting users to make small social groups with common interests (borrowed from Six Degrees).

In today’s society, social media has become an essential aspect to almost everyone’s life. With the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, people are now using such sites as a way to communicate, stay in touch, keep up on current news, and entertain oneself. Social networks are now being used as a way to help connect individuals to the world around them.

The Use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) Proves to be an Ineffective Way to Prohibit Online Piracy

Over the last few decades, many digital media companies strive to protect their products from copyright infringement. From Apple to Microsoft, such companies have implemented—or still continue to implement—the use of DRM on their products.

DRM, which stands for “Digital Rights Management”, is the use of technological restrictions that attempt to control what a media users can do with their products. Traditionally, DRM is achieved through a series of codes that prevent a user doing a myriad of actions to their products, such as copying or sharing media. In the end, DRM attempts to stop piracy through the means of extreme control, making it extremely anti-consumer and anti-user.

DRM can be applied to a myriad of electronic and digital media, such as music, movies, eBooks, games, and software. In addition, it also has an innumerable amount of functions that ultimately prohibit users from doing a handful of actions when it comes to their products. Some examples include:

• A movie software limiting the number of digital copies a user can make.
• Music files, such as digital audio, prohibiting users from sharing with others.
• Online bookstores restricting on the number of devices a certain eBook can be on.
• Online games preventing products to resold or traded with others.

Audials Tunebite 6
A popular program that removes
DRM from an array of digital media.

If DRM has so much restriction and tries to prevent copyright infringement, then why does online piracy still exist? Perhaps the major reason why the use of DRM is ineffective in today’s digital world is that a few tech-savvy users have devised a way to bypass against the restrictive codes, thus proving that it can be hacked. Suprisingly, there are many products out there that can bypass DRM, with a number of websites even recommending “Top 5 DRM Removing Programs” that can be bought and used on almost any media platform.

An example of how DRM can be “hacked” is through illegally downloaded music. Apple’s iTunes once contained DRM in their collection of digital media content, such as music. Once users found out that they could not share their music with others, some developed and used the aforementioned DRM removing programs to counteract against the DRM codes. Currently, such users who provide DRM-free music are now sharing with millions of people for free, subsequently illustrating the world of piracy.

Consumers created a poster that illustrates
their anger against Xbox One and its use
of DRM in its online gaming market.

In the context of today’s marketplace, DRM proves to have a significant relevance to the digital media industry. One such example is the controversy surrounding Microsoft’s upcoming product: the Xbox One. After revealing that the new Xbox one will exclusively use downloadable media protected by DRM, many consumers were angered, ultimately boycotting against the company’s decision by refusing to buy the device. When realizing the amount of consumers and revenue the company has lost, Microsoft decided to make their content DRM free. Since then, many companies have followed in the footsteps of Microsoft and are considering to make their content DRM-free as well, hoping to avoid losing customers.

Overall, DRM can be ineffective in a numerous amount of ways. Although it strives to thwart off copyright infringement, many people have learned to bypass the restrictions, thus perpetuating the act of piracy. Many consumers are angered by the use of DRM because of its harsh restrictions; they believe users should determine what they can do with the products they buy, not the companies.

Internet Dependency May Become a New Threat to College Students

According to Shaibany, who wrote “Addiction to social media or drugs: Which is the bigger evil for youth?”, many of today’s youth who use social media are revealed to have the same symptoms as those who are addicted to drugs: irritability, uncommunicative, and disoriented from reality. He deems that these symptoms are just the beginning of what could be the start of a new epidemic in today’s society: “internet addiction”. Some common associations with the term addiction could be related to food and drugs, but in relation to media, the Internet could be deemed as a new form of addiction that can also be a danger to this generation of college students. But could one be absolutely entrenched in technology, perhaps to the point when it becomes a hindrance to their well-being? In my opinion, one can be heavily reliant on the use of media, however, I don’t agree with the fact that one could be “addicted” to it. The difference between addiction and reliance and the fact that addiction could be detrimental to someone’s life.

In my daily life, I rely on media to keep me updated on information; whether it pertains to my classes or to my social life, digital media is something that I cannot live without. For example, throughout my day, I check my e-mail to see if any of my professors sent any important announcements. In addition, I check Facebook and Twitter after class time to socialize with my friends and family. At face-value, I could be perceived as an individual who is addicted to digital media, however I believe I am not. The most important thing I stress is the fact that I don’t let the internet harm my life; indeed it does create a distraction sometimes, but I still have control over my usage by turning it off and putting it away. In the end, I believe I’m heavily reliant and dependent on my internet use, whether leisure or educational purposes, but I, along with many other college students, have enough sovereignty in our minds to know whether technology and media becomes helpful or hurtful in our lives.

In order to prohibit extreme detrimental habits of using digital media in class, perhaps professors could utilize technology in a way that keeps the student’s attention towards class related content. One idea may be the use of the program Nearpod, which is a program that delivers real-time lesson presentations to a student’s mobile device. Students ultimately use technology, but in a way that relates to the class and not their social life, hopefully keeping them attentive towards a lesson and not on Facebook. It’s possible that our devices could be helpful in class, but only if we use it in a way in which our minds are focused on something school related, even if it’s for an hour lecture.

Reference:

http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-22170.aspx

“Juvenile Violence Linked to Video Games and Television Indicates No Correlation”

The omnipresent argument concerning today’s youth focuses on the idea that video games could become detrimental to their innocent psyche.  A few decades ago, a similar argument was made; however, instead of trepidation with 8-bit video games, it was concerned with violent programs on television. It may seem like a logical conclusion to believe that children who play video games are more susceptible to violent behavior compared to children who watch television, however, other factors, such as individual personalities or lifestyles, may be the root of their evil – not the technology itself.

Video games would seem to have a greater effect on children compared to television because of the substantial interaction between the user and the product. The logic is simple: since children are heavily enveloped in video games, there’s a greater probability that they would be more susceptible to imitating the violence. However, according to Patterson, who wrote “Video Games Don’tMake Teens Violent, Shows Study”, children who played violent video games were not exhibiting hostile behavior compared to non-video gamers. He then concluded that playing these video games seemed to have a “cathartic” effect, in which some children were seen to have dropped aggression behavior. This proves that video games do not cause violent behavior among children, therefore showing no correlation between the two factors.

The Bobo Doll studies, developed by Albert Bandura, determined that children who watched violent episodes on television would likely exhibit violent behavior, such as punching the Bobo Doll. But one important factor that is overlooked is the fact that these experiments were conducted in a laboratory setting, leaving researchers to question whether children maintained their violent behavior at home. This begs the important question: do interactive technological mediums, regardless of their strength, cause children to become violent? Or does it have to do with other factors beyond the technological realm, such as their lifestyle at home? Indeed, Bandura determined a correlation between violent programs on the television and aggressive behavior, but results of children acting perpetually destructive in their daily lives because of television are inconclusive.

 Many of today’s youth culture is surrounded by violence, depicted not only in highly interactive mediums such as video games, but also passive mediums such as television. In a society in which technology is constantly involved in everyone’s lives, video games and television are not as effective in affecting media users as much as it did in previous years.

References:

Patterson, Sean. “Video Games Don’t Make TeensViolent, Shows Study”. 27 August 2013.

McIntosh, S., Pavlik, J.V.. Converging Media. (Bobo the Doll Experiment).