Use of Social Media in Disaster Management: Challenges and Strategies

Abstract

Studies on social media (SM) and disaster management (DM) have mainly focused on the adaptation, application, and use of SM in each stage of DM. With the widespread availability and use of SM, the effective utilisation of SM in DM is impeded by various challenges but not yet comprehensively researched. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the challenges as well as the strategies to overcome the challenges and categorises them into a classified model. This study adopts a systematic literature review to present and analyse the challenges and strategies for using SM in DM. Utilising prominent databases, 72 publications were carefully selected and analysed qualitatively using content analysis. The findings revealed four key challenges to its users: the spread of misinformation; insufficient human resources to manage SM use; the lack of trust in information and authorities; and the poor information quality and content of messages. This study identified several strategies to overcome challenges, which can be classified into three sectors of the SM community: individuals, organisations, and SM companies. These findings contribute to enhancing the effective utilisation of SM in DM by community practitioners. Furthermore, this study provides insight into the current status of knowledge and identifies the research gaps around SM in DM for future research.