The document discusses the use of social media in emergency and disaster management. It outlines the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. For each phase, examples are given of traditional communication and examples of how social media could enhance communication at different levels of usage from promotion to engagement to integration. The presentation concludes that social media, when integrated effectively, can act as a force multiplier during disasters by enhancing coordination, communications, and public participation.

1. David F. Merrick
Center for Disaster Risk Policy
Florida State University
Social Media and Disaster Management:
Communication Convergence
Presented 11.2011 at DLSU Manila

2. Outline
 Stop me for questions at any point!
 Emergency and disaster management overview
 Communication in the disaster cycle
 Social media overview
 Developing social media usage in government
 Social media and the four phases of EM
 Social media as a force multiplier
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3. Emergency Management
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Concepts & Background
11.2011

4. Emergency Management
 Also called disaster management and crisis management,
though those have slightly different contexts.
 Emergency management is the discipline that focuses on…
 The organized analysis, planning, decision making, and
assignment of available resources to mitigate, prepare for,
respond to, and recover from the effects of all hazards
 The goal of emergency management is to save lives, prevent
injury, protect property and the environmentin the event an
emergency occurs.
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5. The EM Cycle
• Preparedness
•Response
•Recovery
•Short term
•Long term
•Mitigation
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6. Communication Through the Cycle
Phase Communication Example
Mitigation • Publicawareness and outreach
• Policy development and rulemaking
Preparedness • Watches and warnings (Alerts)
• Preparedness planning / measures
Response • Public safety and instructions
• Community coordination and info
Recovery • Public assistance notices
• Public awareness and outreach
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7. Social Media Concepts &
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Background
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8. Web 2.0
 Web 2.0 has been a buzzword for several years (first coined in
2004), and has evolved to mean the interactive/collaborative
internet and web space.
 Blogs
 RSS Feeds
 Wikis
 Etc.
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9. Tim Berners-Lee on Web 2.0
“Web 1.0 was all about connecting people. It was an interactive
space, and I think Web 2.0 is of course a piece of jargon,
nobody even knows what it means. If Web 2.0 for you is blogs
and wikis, then that is people to people. But that was what
the Web was supposed to be all along. And in fact, you know,
this 'Web 2.0', it means using the standards which have been
produced by all these people working on Web 1.0.”
Berners-Lee Interview, 22nd August, 2006
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10. Evolution of the Collaborative Web
The Web 2.0 Transition….
World Wide Web pages transform to….
Content management systems / dynamic content
Portals
Personal blogs
Blog communities
Twitter
Facebook
Foursquare
????
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11. What is Social Media?
 Social Media is a set of technologies, concepts, and
methods that allow for the creation of massive
community based collaboration.
 The core principals of social media are:
 Participation
 Community
 Transparency
 Asynchronous
 Persistence
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12. Evolution of the Collaborative Web
The Web 2.0 Transition….
World Wide Web pages transform to….
Content management systems / dynamic content
Portals
Personal blogs
Blog communities
Twitter Media
Social
Facebook
Foursquare
????
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13. Purpose of Social Network Sites
 According to Boyd and Ellison (2007), SNS are defined as web-
based services that “allow individuals to (1) construct a public or
semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list
of other users with who they share a connection, and (3) view
and traverse their list of connections and those made by others
within the system.”
 Research suggests users utilize SNS in order to reinforce, articulate,
and define existing social relations. They are not ‘networking’ to
meet new people.
 Relationships between users are typically two-way (consensual
between the two users).
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14. Social Networks as Information Channel
 Social Network Sites can serve as the Channel in the
classic SMCR Model:
Source  Message  Channel  Recipient
 This has led to SNS being leveraged as methods of
communication and advertisement by organizations as
well as tools for individuals to define social interaction.
 In this context, SNS relationships are one-way.
(organization to individual).
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15. General Social Network Platforms
 Facebook
 Over 500 Million users, over 50% log in every day.
 70% of users are outside the U.S.
 Twitter
 Over 150 million users
 Mobile friendly, even without a ‘smartphone’.
 LinkedIn
 Business and professional focus. Emphasis on professional
networking and information exchange.
 Jaiku, Tumblr, MySpace, Orkut, Google Buzz, others.
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16. Communities of Practice
 Communities of practice (CoP’s) are groups of people linked
by common interest.
 Examples include professional organizations, book clubs,
parent organizations, class groups, etc.
 They can exist offline, but social network sites and social
media leverage CoPs to a new level.
 No longer constrained by geography or by time
 Social media enhances communication and collaboration.
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17. Government
Social Media and
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18. What Social Media Tools Are Used in
State Government?
 Facebook – 86%
 Twitter – 83%
 YouTube – 76%
 Flickr – 46%
 Blogs – 44%
 Linkedin – 20%
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19. Primary Reasons for State Government
Usage of Social Media?
 Citizen engagement – 98%
 Public information, outreach and awareness – 93%
 Open government – 67%
 Business engagement - 53%
 Government engagement – 44%
 Reduced need for resources / efficiency – 35%
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20. Biggest Concerns for Usage of Social
Media by State Government
 Security – 58%
 Terms or service issues – 49%
 Records retention issues – 42%
 Privacy – 42%
 Employee use / misuse – 37%
 Lack of resources to monitor/control – 33%
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21. From Resistance to Integration
 In the 2010 NASCIO survey, only one state indicated they
were not using any social media tools.
 More and more local, state, and federal agencies are utilizing
social media and Web 2.0 technologies to some extent.
 Emergency management agencies and organizations are no
exception, with usage ranging from the simple to complex
 How do we measure the effectiveness social media plans and
practice?
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22. Levels of Social Media Usage in EM
0. Resistance
 No usage of SM tools, techniques or technologies
 “We don’t have the time or expertise.”
 “We already have a web page.”
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23. Levels of Social Media Usage in EM
1. Promotion
 Usage of limited SM platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter to
send messages to users.
 May be part of an alert or warning system
 Used to drive traffic to organizational web sites or other
material
 Marked by ‘one-way’ traffic.
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24. Levels of Social Media Usage in EM
2. Engagement
 Expanding platforms and tools
 Creating custom content tailored for multiple platforms and
audiences
 Engaged with the community, participating in conversations
using SM platforms
 Recognize the PIO’s role in maintaining a SM community
presence in all phases of EM
 Recognition of the fact that society/the public wants to be
committed to disaster preparedness, response, and
recovery
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25. Levels of Social Media Usage in EM
2. Engagement
Source  Message  Channel  Recipient
Feedback
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26. Levels of Social Media Usage in EM
3. Integrated
 Content is created and tailored for multiple platforms, all
supporting a central message theme
 SM value is recognized and used beyond the PIO role
 Utilizing crowdsourcing and/or other techniques to solicit
information and data from the public
 SM plays a role in operational situational awareness and
decision making
 Full integration of a committed public in disaster management
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27. Social Media in Risk Communication
 In the Engaged and Integrated stages, emergency managers should
be utilizing SM as a part of a comprehensive risk and crisis
communication strategy
 Education about risks and hazards
 Education about what actions the public can take to protect
themselves from the hazard
 Train the public on what do do when told to evacuate, shelter in
place, etc.
 Using social media to gather feedback on the effectiveness of the
risk communication messages
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28. Mitigation
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29. Mitigation and Social Media
 Mitigation focuses on reducing the impact of disasters.
 Examples of mitigation actions include:
 Improved building codes and zoning
 Building retrofits and hardening
 Resident relocation
 Public outreach and education
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30. Mitigation Actions via Social Media
SM Usage Level SM Sample Actions
Promotion •Facebookposts linking to mitigation plans
Engagement •Facebookposts to mitigation planning forums for
community feedback
• Polls to gather feedback on proposed rule changes
• PIO contacting community leaders and involving
them in SM conversations
Integrated • Usage of Twitter and Foursquare to gather
information about disaster prone geographies and
populations
• Mitigation planning teams using Twitter hashtags to
start and follow mitigation conversations.
• Community mitigation data collected via SM channels
is utilized in comprehensive planning.
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31. Preparedness
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32. Preparedness and Social Media
 Preparedness focuses on getting ready to deal with the
impacts of disaster
 Examples of preparedness actions include:
 Stockpiling supplies for use during and after a disaster
 Evacuation planning
 Warning/educating communities about hazards
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33. Preparedness Actions via Social Media
SM Usage Level SM Sample Actions
Promotion •Facebookposts linking to existing outreach
plans/templates
•Facebookor Twitter warning messages
Engagement • Social media risk communication campaigns
• PIO engagement with local media and community
leaders to educate / warn of hazards
Integrated • Evacuationplanners using Twitter and Facebook to
coordinate volunteers for evacuation and response.
•YouTubebroadcasts discussing preparedness
techniques and plans, cross linked across all SM
channels
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34. Response
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35. Response and Social Media
 Response entails actions to save lives and preserve property
during and immediately after a disaster.
 Examples of response actions include:
 Search and rescue
 Fire fighting
 Flood control measures
 Traffic control
 Security
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36. Response Actions via Social Media
SM Usage Level SM Sample Actions
Promotion •Facebookor Twitter warning messages
Engagement • PIO engagement with local media and community leaders
to educate / warn of hazards
• Disastersituation updates including maps and interactive
media
Integrated • Using SM mobile tools to gather damage reports and calls
for assistance.
• Integrationof all SM collected data and streams in the
EOC common operating picture
• Utilizing crisis mapping and other tools to visualize citizen
reports
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37. Recovery
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38. Recovery and Social Media
 Recovery focuses on returning society to normal after a
disaster
 Examples of recovery actions include:
 Debris/road clearance
 Utility restoration
 Schools reopened
 Sheltering and temporary housing
 Reconstruction and repairs
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39. Recovery Actions via Social Media
SM Usage Level SM Sample Actions
Promotion •Advertisement of disaster recovery centers
•Links to recovery resources
Engagement •PIO engagement with community regarding recovery
plans and opportunities
•Recovery updates regarding utilities, roads, and
residual effects
Integrated •Using SM mobile tools and geolocation to gather
damage reports and track disaster impacts.
•Creating of recovery portal with links to social media
platforms to enable community volunteers to assist
•Utilizing crisis mapping and other tools to visualize
citizen reports
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40. Social Media as a Force Multiplier
 Emergency management utilizes a lot of tools and
techniques during all phases of disasters.
 Comprehensive Plans
 Procedures
 Crisis and risk communication
 Volunteer organizations and NGO’s
 Community involvement and interaction
 Internet information portals and websites
 Media contacts
 Governmental contacts
 Mutual aid
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41. Social Media as a Force Multiplier
 Social media, when used in an Integrated way…..
 Enhances coordination and cooperation among all the actors
 Provides depth to the communications capabilities of the EOC
 Example: Boulder Colorado Four Mile Fire
 Enables citizens to participate in disaster management in their
communities
 Example: Queensland, Australia Floods in 2011
 Acts as a ‘force multiplier’ for all of these actors – enables better,
more efficient response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness
 Can create ad-hoc response entities in places and locations where
no “official” response is possible
 Example: 2010 Haiti Earthquake
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42. Examples
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43. David F. Merrick
Center for Disaster Risk Policy
Florida State University
dmerrick@fsu.edu
001 850 644 9961
Questions?
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