The Influence Of Social Media On Emergency Management

Introduction

Social media has emerged as an effective tool for all levels of government in communicating emergency and disaster information to the public. Media itself over the last decade or more has evolved in how we communicate to one another and how we receive pertinent information on emergencies, major events and disasters. It has proven useful during each phase of emergency management, offering a two-way form of communication in preparing for, responding to, or recovering from an emergency event (FEMA, 2013). Until social media services such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, people would receive updates about emergency situations, disasters or events on the news. Now, everything is shared through images and posts on social media sites. News and education on preparedness spreads much faster now in communication using social media due to these sites generating an overwhelming source of information available online. Government officials have

First, rapid mass communication can assist in saving lives and property by spreading messages and situational awareness quickly and to a large number of people. Social media enables emergency managers and stakeholders to communicate more effectively and directly with constituents. Emergency managers can also more effectively respond to new, incorrect or conflicting information. In times of non-emergency, social media can be used as a tool to build community resilience through prevention, mitigation, and preparedness efforts by the promotion of government participation, which in turn can build mutual trust in the community by fostering transparency and accountability. Another benefit of using social media is that it can help reduce call volume to call centers (FEMA,