EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA: CAUGHT IN THE WEB 2.0

摘要

Social media is a major force in the emergency management community. It shapes how crises are communicated and how response is coordinated. It provides new and accessible communication platforms that offer the opportunity to reach more people than ever before. Additionally, social media technology provides a mechanism for emergency communicators to quickly relay critical information in a time of crisis to both the public and each other. It is a proven and invaluable resource for emergency response across the country. Social media are the new standard for information dissemination and can enhance an organization's information network efforts to reduce the impact of emergencies and disasters on life and personal property. Social media can best be leveraged during time-critical response efforts if most participants have already built a history and trust. Social media can be used as notification systems, in recovery efforts, emergency information gathering, and as information repositories. By complementing emergency communication plans with social media techniques, an organization has a better chance of spreading its communication messages, informing the public and media and ultimately surviving a crisis situation.