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Widespread use opens new crisis communications possibilities
As a culture, we started becoming more aware of the power of social media during times of crisis, like when the Iran election in 2009 caused a furor, both on the ground and on Twitter. More recently, the Internet and social media played an important role in spreading news about the earthquake in Haiti and political revolution in Egypt.
But what about other kinds of natural disasters or crime? Can social media be used to good effect then?
In 2009, two girls trapped in a storm water drain used Facebook to ask for help rather than calling emergency services from their mobile phones. At the time, authorities were concerned about the girls’ seemingly counterintuitive action.
However, according to new research from the American Red Cross, the Congressional Management Foundation and other organizations, social media could stand to play a larger and more formal role in emergency response.
In fact, almost half the respondents in a recent survey said they would use social media in the event of a disaster to let relatives and friends know they were safe.
While the girls who chose to use Facebook rather than dial 911 may still be ahead of their time (or attention starved…), social media has been used successfully for crisis management around the globe, especially in areas with minimal infrastructure, for everything from disaster response and disease tracking to coordinating political upheavals, and is now being integrated into emergency response plans for many major U.S. cities.
Already, emergency responders are starting to use text messages as one form of communication in the event of disasters, sending information to local residents about locations to find aid, shelter, or evacuation routes, while the same residents can send their own texts or visit a social media site to request care.
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]
