Mass media and its role in increasing society's involvement in disaster management

Abstract

Disaster is defined as what creates an imbalance in the normal and routine course of human lives. Therefore, disaster management is an applied science that uses analysis of previous disasters and recent scientific and technological advancements to find solutions for prevention or counter the effects of disasters. In this regard, mass media can increase the awareness of society about disasters and increase the society's involvement in disaster (SID) management, taking an effective step in reducing the adverse effects of disasters, and in time help prevent future ones. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of mass media and their effectiveness in disaster management especially in improving public involvement in disaster management. This study uses simple review method by searching for relevant information incredible scientific websites, scientific texts, and scientific articles. In this regard databases such as Magiran, Google Scholar, and Science Direct SID were investigated between years 2001 and 2014. The results of these searches revealed that several studies investigate the different viewpoints about the role of media in disaster management with the consensus being that mass media can be an effective tool for dealing with disasters and disastrous situations. In most studies, the conclusion is that without the help of national and mass media, it is impossible to achieve an effective disaster management. Finally, we concluded that media can play an important role in all stages of a disaster from before the disaster to after a disaster and rebuilding efforts. Mass media can improve the public's awareness and educate the people and also improve the SID management.