Sorry: it’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. Largely, that’s because I’ve been so busy with our work on the Mapping Online Publics project – see the project blog for all the latest information. Following the various natural disasters we’ve endured – in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, to begin with –, that work has focussed for the moment especially on the use of social media for crisis communication, with plenty of outcomes already. In particular, this includes our two most recent presentations:
Social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter have now emerged as important additions to the arsenal of crisis communications tools – connecting emergency services and mainstream media sources with affected citizens on the ground as well as onlookers from further afield, and functioning also as a backchannel which can be used to send feedback and requests to the authorities. This paper presents a close analysis of recent events such as the Queensland floods and the Christchurch earthquake to provide important insights into the way Twitter was used during these disasters, as well as outlining approaches to tracking social media activities during future crisis events.
