Transaction Management in Database Management System
Social Media and Crisis Communication
1. Social Media and Crisis Communication
Assoc. Prof. Axel Bruns
ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane, Australia
a.bruns@qut.edu.au
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
@snurb_dot_info
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
2. Social Media during Crises
o Various platforms:
o Facebook, Twitter – updates and information
o YouTube, Flickr, Twitpic – first-hand video and photos
o Google Maps, Ushahidi – map-based information mashups
Different tools for different purposes
o Various levels of maturity:
o Uses and use practices still developing
o Different demographic reach
o Technological differences:
o e.g. Facebook: built around personal networks; semi-private;
discussion threads
o e.g. Twitter: open, flat network; public #hashtag conversations;
update stream
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
3. Why Twitter?
o Researching Twitter:
o Significant world-wide social network
o ~200 million users (but how many active?)
o ~2 million users in Australia
o Varied range of uses: from everyday communication to emergency
coordination
o Flat and open network structure:
non-reciprocal following, public profiles by default
o Hashtags as a flexible, ad hoc response mechanism
o Good API for gathering data for research and operational use
How can Twitter be used for crisis information and community
resilience?
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
4. The 2011 Queensland Floods
o Chronology:
o December 2010 to January 2011: unprecedented
rainfall
o Emergency declared for more than 50% of Queensland
o Wivenhoe dam reaches 180% capacity
o December 2010: Flooding in northern Queensland
o January 2011: Floods in southeast Queensland
o 10 January 2011: flash flooding in Toowoomba
o 10 January 2011: ‘inland tsunami’ in the Lockyer Valley
o 11 January 2011: flooding begins in Ipswich
o 12-16 January 2011: major flooding in Brisbane
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
16. The Queensland Floods Community
o Self-organisation:
o Rapid establishment of #qldfloods hashtag
o Ad hoc development of community structures
o Highlighting of leading accounts, vigilant against disruption
o Suspension of petty squabbles (e.g. state politics)
o Innovation and rapid prototyping:
o Adjunct hashtags (#Mythbuster, #bakedrelief)
o Sharing and gathering of online resources
o Additional tools (Google Maps, Ushahidi Maps)
o Emergency services rapidly adopting social media tools
(despite lack of established strategies)
‘Go where they are’ rather than ‘build it and they will come’
See CCI Report: #qldfloods and @QPSMedia: Crisis Communication on
Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland Floods
(http://cci.edu.au/floodsreport.pdf)
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
17. Major Information Sources Remain Important
@sunriseon7
@couriermail
@612brisbane
@QPSMedia
@abcnews
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
23. Retweet Rates in @QPSMedia Conversations
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
24. Beyond the Queensland Floods
o Further outlook:
o Need to build on #qldfloods experience
o Maintain momentum of @QPSMedia and other lead accounts
o Review what did/didn’t work, improve communication strategies
o Analyse and work with community communication patterns
o Cultivate potential lead users:
o Who (institutions / individuals) was most active / influential?
o How can they be identified as crises unfold?
o Are they the usual suspects (e.g. community leaders), or not?
o How stable are such communication structures?
Will social media use look similar next time around?
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
25. 2010/11 Christchurch Earthquakes
o Series of earthquakes:
o 4 Sep. 2010 – M7.1
o Major structural damage, limited injuries
o 22 Feb. 2011 – M6.3
o Substantial devastation, major casualties
o 13 June 2011 – M6.3
o Major aftershock, further liquefaction
o 23 Dec. 2011 – M5.1-6.0
o Major aftershocks
o Significant use of social media – e.g. Twitter: #eqnz
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
34. #eqnz: Contribution by Different User Groups in Each Event
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
35. #eqnz: Visibility of Leading Accounts in Each Event
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
36. Twitter and the Christchurch Earthquake
o Towards better strategies for social media in disasters:
o February 2011 earthquake building on lessons learnt in September
2010
o #eqnz and key Twitter accounts already established
o Several key accounts sharing the load and dividing responsibilities
o More sophisticated use of Twitter by residents and authorities
o Clear shift in attention after the immediate rescue phase:
o Marked differences in list of most @replied/retweeted accounts
o Some tracking of current problems / issues / fears may be possible
o Decline in overall tweet volume / diversification of #hashtags?
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
37. Social Media and Crisis Communication
o Twitter research:
o Develop better tools and metrics for evaluating social media communication
o In-depth analysis of communication patterns reveals how social media are used
o Real-time analytics: highlight key current issues, identify weak signals of crisis
o Monitor and improve effectiveness of social media communication strategies by
emergency services
o Social media uses:
o Inform, share, amplify, support, reassure, organise
o Need to track and work with user community: follow their conventions
(e.g. #eqnz hashtag)
o Two-way communication where feasible – more than broadcast messages
o Provide community with tools to self-organise for resilience
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/