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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