Abstract
Members of parliament’s (MPs) social media channels are significant arenas for communication between the public and national leaders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to explore how these channels function during emergencies. We present findings from a mixed-method study of automatic and manual content analysis of a unique dataset composed of all posts on Israeli MPs' Facebook pages during the entire 19th Israeli parliament. We compare scope of posting, engagement with posts, and the content in MPs' Facebook pages during “ordinary" periods and an “emergency” period, focusing on the 2014 Israel/Gaza war. Findings present MPs' social media pages as hubs of interaction between MPs and audiences in emergencies, even more so than during ordinary periods. MPs' social media pages involve significantly more posts (and engagement with posts) during emergencies. In addition, the content in them becomes more emotional, less personal, and focused on the emergency situation and the national leaders responding to it.
Highlights
The contemporary media ecology is highly dynamic
The significance of media usage may be of particular importance during emergencies and crises; when needs are intensified and become more acute on one hand, and on the other hand, the scope of information generation and circulation becomes more rapid compared to ordinary times
Studying content and engagement pertaining to Members of parliament (MPs)’ social media arenas during emergencies is important, as needs are intensified and become more acute on one hand, and on the other hand the scope of information generation and circulation becomes faster compared to ordinary times
Summary
The significance of media usage may be of particular importance during emergencies and crises; when needs are intensified and become more acute on one hand, and on the other hand, the scope of information generation and circulation becomes more rapid compared to ordinary times 2012; Lev-On & Uziel, 2018). People may find it increasingly difficult to make sense of the situation in its entirety and generate a clear picture of the state of affairs. Studies demonstrate that the perceived importance of the media (and the enhanced scope of needs) which media are expected to fulfill, increase during times of emergency (Lev-On & Uziel, 2018)
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