Utilizing Social Media for Information Dispersal during Local Disasters: The Communication Hub Framework for Local Emergency Management.

Dionne Mitcham,Curtis Harris,Morgan Taylor

doi:10.3390/ijerph182010784

Dionne Mitcham, Curtis Harris + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010784

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Abstract

In today’s society, the use of social media has increased the public’s desire to receive information quickly and to be able to interact with communicators. During a disaster, the trend to turn to social media for information has risen in popularity. Society’s reliance on social media and quick access to information has led the field of emergency management and the role of a Public Information Officer to adapt to include social media as a crisis communication channel for information dispersal. Existing frameworks for the use of social media as a channel for crisis communications provide guidance for emergency management agencies across all levels of government but fail to account for the varying access to communication resources at the local level. Due to the differing access to communication resources and unique relationships with stakeholders at the local level, there is a need for guidance on how local emergency management agencies can use social media to disperse essential information. The proposed Communication Hub Framework utilizes local emergency management professionals’ relationships with key community stakeholders to aid in the distribution of essential information to community members via social media during a disaster.

Highlights

Hirokazu TatanoSince the introduction of Facebook in 2004 and Twitter in 2006, social media has risen in popularity as a source of news, information, and entertainment in everyday life [1,2,3]
Previous instances of miscommunication and the spreading of rumors via social media during disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey and the Boston Marathon bombing, has demonstrated the increasing need for guidance and frameworks directing the use of social media as a communication tool at all levels of the field of Emergency Management (EM)
Federal organizations have attempted to meet the need by releasing guidelines on the use of social media, such as the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communications (CERC) framework and the Social Media Emergency Management (SMEM) Guidance Tool, the frameworks were crafted to be used at all levels of EM and do not offer tailored recommendations for social media use at the local level

Summary

Introduction

Hirokazu TatanoSince the introduction of Facebook in 2004 and Twitter in 2006, social media has risen in popularity as a source of news, information, and entertainment in everyday life [1,2,3]. Local EM offices often have varying access to certain communication resources that state and federal emergency management organizations have, such as risk communicators, social media strategists, and full-time Public Information. Compared to EM at the state and federal levels, local EM often involves a closer relationship and exchange of information between the local office and the surrounding community [6]. Local stakeholder organizations are typically social, economic, and political organizations within the community [9] These organizations often influence community members and can provide EM professionals with insight into the needs of a specific section of the community [10].

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