Social Media Emergency Management

Overview of Social Media & Use in Emergency Management

Social media is a new technology that not only allows for another channel of broadcasting messages to the public, but also allows for two way communication between emergency managers and major stakeholder groups. Increasingly the public is turning to social media technologies to obtain up to date information during emergencies and to share data about the disaster in the form of geo data, text, pictures, video, or a combination of these media. Social media also can allow for greater situational awareness for emergency responders. While social media allows for many opportunities to engage in an effective conversation with stakeholders, it also holds many challenges for emergency managers.

Taking time to become familiar with the talk and the tempo of social media helps emergency managers establish what military commanders often call their battle rhythm.

Monitoring focuses on one-way communication from the public. This mode informs and instructs the Emergency Manager before any action is taken to deploy or use social media tactically or strategically.

This approach allows emergency managers to focus on the means by which the public gathers, shares and responds to information about emergencies. It does not necessarily involve the delivery of a service to secure a particular outcome. Nevertheless, effective social media monitoring can inform response decisions and influence plans for its strategic use.

Level 2 -

The use of social media at this stage is end focused.

At this level, emergency managers engage the public through social media to both gather and disseminate information. This starts a one-to-many/many-to-one conversation that helps the public update the situational awareness of emergency managers and other users, while obtaining information from them that guides a more efficient and effective response to the emergency. When the public and emergency managers have a shared understanding of the situation and what’s at stake, they can take independent action without fear of compromising the outcome.

Level 4 - Cooperate

This stage involves more direct engagement between individuals or groups and emergency managers. This two-way communication facilitates shared understanding of the situation, which shapes participants’ expectations of the means of responding or the ends to be achieved. The result is shared resources, allowing participants to achieve multiple objectives. Crowd sourced maps are a prime example of social media use at this