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An essay about social media and disaster response
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Methods
Certain studies suggest that during natural disasters people tend to seek information from traditional mediums like television and radio rather than social media such as where many people tend to get their information from today. It is interesting to make assumptions of the idea that when an issue is serious enough there is a line where the information from friends and family becomes invalid. Many people may take a person’s health advice when the problem isn’t as pressing, but perhaps when the concern grows such as the thought of cancer then perhaps people begin to seek health information from other perhaps more credible sources. The hypothesis being tested will be whether or not younger people tend to be more or less trust worthy of health information from people whom they know such as friends or family depending on what age they are. A null hypothesis would simply state that younger people look toward online sources because it is the environment there are immersed in today and that age has nothing to do with trusting sources. The independent variable for this study will be the age of respondents. The age group of 45+ seems to be a lot larger than any other age group that took part in this survey. The dependent variable in question is that in general, how much someone would trust information about health or medical topics and, even specifically health information from friends or family. The data shows that the extremes of whether or not people would trust information from friends or family in general decrease as opposed to the rise in the middle of options such as “a little” and “some.” The variables of both age and the level of trustworthiness people have about health or medical topics relate over all to the HINTS data s...
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...ho are more trusting again which is either due to the disproportion of data or simply because there is something that happens at that certain age. The results would also be more noteworthy if the amount of younger respondents data had be taken in rather than the majority of older responses. I feel that the data was not as accurate as it could have been had there been more equally distributed data among the different age groups so I don’t feel the results are as conclusive.
Work Cited [MLA]
Burger, Joanna, et al. "Trusted Information Sources Used During And After Superstorm Sandy: TV And Radio Were Used More Often Than Social Media." Journal Of Toxicology & Environmental Health: Part A 76.20 (2013): 1138-1150. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
"About HINTS." HINTS:. National Cancer Institute, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. .
Information is perhaps one of the most crucial elements in regards to disaster preparedness. Resultantly, it is vital that individuals understand what information is relevant to the local area and how to obtain information in the event of a disaster or emergency. Furthermore, it is essential that individuals stay informed prior to, during, and after a disaster. Described below are some of the key elements to consider in regards to being and staying informed:
Cho, S. E. & Park, H.W. (2013). Social media use during Japan’s 2011 earthquake: how Twitter transforms the locus crisis communication. Media International Australia, 149, 28-39.
Based on the scenario, local law enforcement agencies would already be aware of the situation. The Regional Center for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management has been mobilized. The obvious supposition would be that the incident commander has already notified the Arkansas State Department of Emergency Management, specifically Anthony Coy, and the Northwest Arkansas Area Coordinator that encompasses Craighead County, at (870) 935-3094, which is located at 511 Union, Room 010, Jonesboro, AR 72401.
Communications is fundamental in any plan. During terrorist incidents it crucial to get accurate information to the public. This information allows for individuals to make well-informed decisions in times of disaster. Research has shown according to Newman and Clarke (2008), that the victims of sudden disasters do not panic and if they do, the panic is short-lived. Rather, victims try to help each other. Emergency managers need the media to explain to the public the current situation as it is happening, although during a disaster a growing number of people get their news from social media. “This is why major disaster management centers maintain close links with the press: to make sure that the coverage is accurate, that it does not exaggerate
If anyone follows the news during a presidential election it would appear that this season is the busiest time for the news media. Although, in today’s world, there are many outlets that the public can go to in order to find out information about the candidates, their platforms, and what is going on (i.e. candidate websites, blogs, etc.), news media outlets such as cable and local news channels remain one of the most popular and integral parts of getting information (Gottfried, Barthel, Shearer, & Mitchell, 2016, paragraph 6). Along with being utilized the most, major news outlets remain the most trusted sources of news for “internet using” adults – those who are aware that there are other options (sources such as Huffington Post
Hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other naturally occurring disaster will come in surprise and will cause damage to infrastructure and loss of life. Even though many natural disasters are unpredictable, “it is possible to assess the circumstances that increase vulnerability to a natural disaster ahead of time and take steps to prevent complications” (Harkness and DeMarcus, 2016, p. 407). Coordination with community leaders and providers is essential to effective preparation and successful disaster response. In instances of catastrophic events, leaders are needed to direct people and ensure that everyone is safe and all areas are attended. Good coordination with community leader and providers will lead to better preparedness and easy
Older adults are more likely to rely on television, radio, and print media for their news than are those in the youngest adult cohort, who are more likely to use mobile devices. However, more traditional devices are still important for younger adult news habits, too. Adults age 18-29 are equally as likely to get news from TV as from their cell phones. And there are distinct differences in the habits of those ages 18-29 from those who are age 30-39. For instance, adults 30-39 are as likely to utilize TV as their computers or their phones. The younger
Social networking can be a good tool when communicating world news, such as natural disasters, because it can communicate faster that a news broadcast can. In the article by Spellman, he states that when FEMA chief Craig Fugate was made aware of an explosion in California, Fugate stated that “I got out my little Android phone and went on Twitter and pulled up the grid to search for 'explosion' and got tweets coming out of the area." After a few minutes of reviewing Tweets on Twitter, Fugate realized that the explosion was localized to one community and was very severe (Spellman). Fugate then states, "I got better situational awareness [from Twitter] before we got official word," he said. "Four or five years ago I wouldn't have gotten that quality of information" (Spellman). This information can then be quickly relayed to first responder’s en route to the incident so they can be better prepared for the conditions. This can also aid with the decreasing of response times and assis...
Social media boasts the ability to keep us up to date with breaking news worldwide (Mensah, 2014). Think of the amber alerts that come to your phone, now think of all the people who do not know how to use a phone or don’t have one. Social media can allow us to have access to that information, online, and share it with each other. Over 30% of the adults who use Facebook use it to get their news (Anderson & Caumont, 2014). For example, recently police had four states under watch for a man who killed another man on live video. Other than amber alerts, people were sharing it throughout multiple states and districts. Imagine there is a mass terror attack in another country, people who may not watch mainstream news but use social media like Twitter, will be informed by the end of the news
Social media has become both popular and crucial in crisis and emergency communications. Responders are not only communicating to their public through social media outlets, the public is communicating with each other, and with responders. Individuals are able to provide important information on disaster impacts, including location and imagery, using nothing more than a smartphone equipped with a camera and GPS locator. One particular technology from Ushahidi offers an interesting way for responders and affected individuals to communicate with one another in the course of a disaster response. The Ushahidi BRCK offers an application of technology that, while not originally designed for use in the emergency management field, has an application in the response to a disaster. This and other technologies contribute to the ever changing way responders and individuals communicate.
This study helps in finding out the role of professionals using social media or Internet to communicate with their followers, fans or patients (in case of doctors communicating). Technology plays a crucial role in health care by pushing patients and providers closer together. This is accomplished through new devices and procedures, but also by increased ways to communicate. In particular, online communication, like patient support groups, new media tools like weblogs, instant messaging platforms, video chat, and social networks allow users to access information without geographic boundaries (Hawn, 2009). 80% of Internet users look online for health information (Fox, 2011). The medical practice “Hello Health” used this way of online helping people with their health related problems. The website of Hello Health enables his clients to email or instant message their doctor, or even video chat with him or her. When the problem of the client is severe enough, he or she can still visit the doctor for an extensive examination at his or her practice. Using e-health and social media is about altering the relationships between care givers and care receivers and to get closer to a more patient-centered health care system (Hawn, 2009). Via a system like Hello Health, patients get the feeling that they can always contact their doctor what creates a relationship of trust and reliability. Because of this, patients will find their doctors trustworthy and see them as opinion leaders regarding health care. Extended research must reveal whether these effects are really
After a massive powerful storm hit the northern Illinois service area of electric utility Commonwealth Edison on July 11, 2011, more than 900,000 customers were left without power during a hot, humid summer. ComEd crews and assistances from other states worked for days afterward the storm to restore services. Meanwhile, the company’s months-old social media (eChannels) strategy was put to its first major test. Its social media strategy goal was to “ understand the customers – ask, listen and be responsive,” enhance and communicate ComEd’s brand,” and “develop a consistent communications message for customers, employees, stakeholders and regulators.” They also followed six-part approach to using social media - monitor, respond, analyze, market, share and collaborate. (Commonwealth Edison: The Use of Social Media in Disaster Response, Page 5 & 6.) The social media team/crew, part of ComEd’s customer operations division, worked around the clock to respond to posts from customers on Facebook and Twitter. Engaging directly through social media was a good way to display and strengthen their relationships with customers and the general public, which was consistent with its corporate goal: “Keep the lights on and information flowing.” (Page 2.) The crew also did good job on handling customer quires, answer each individual tweet, and continued working for two weeks to be sure all questions were answered, directin...
It seems online media is overshadowing traditional media… However, traditional media is still trustworthy. Audiences can compare the news they receive [from social media and traditional media] and make conclusions. As traditional media is controlled by authorized organizations, the information is examined properly, it gains higher trust… People tend to use social media to get news, but sometimes this comes from traditional media news that they get online.
Avoiding Natural Disasters Natural disasters kill more people on a global scale than wars. According to the United Nations, in the last decade alone, natural disasters have caused the deaths of more than a million people, affected 1.8 billion people in terms of loss of health, homes and livelihoods, and cost $685 billion in economic and structural damage. It is virtually impossible to prevent natural disasters such as hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. Such events are caused by climatic and geological occurrences that are inevitable and cannot be avoided.
The increase in unpredictable natural disasters events for a decade has led to put the disaster preparedness as a central issue in disaster management. Disaster preparedness reduces the risk of loss lives and injuries and increases a capacity for coping when hazard occurs. Considering the value of the preparatory behavior, governments, local, national and international institutions and non-government organizations made some efforts in promoting disaster preparedness. However, although a number of resources have been expended in an effort to promote behavioural preparedness, a common finding in research on natural disaster is that people fail to take preparation for such disaster events (Paton, 2005; Shaw 2004; Spittal, et.al, 2005; Tierney, 1993; Kenny, 2009; Kapucu, 2008; Coppola and Maloney, 2009). For example, the fact that nearly 91% of Americans live in a moderate to high risk of natural disasters, only 16% take a preparation for natural disaster (Ripley, 2006).