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Social media platforms may be advantageous to those conducting research on communicative responses to crises and disasters, as they allow for the examination of public responses as cataclysmic events unfold. These technologies are also useful for reaching those affected by disasters in a manner not feasible with traditional methods of empirical inquiry. The current essay discusses recent advances in the use of social media for recruiting participants, collecting data, and evaluating audience needs and expectations. This literature is discussed in the context of its implications for scholars, social media managers, and emergency practitioners.

Purpose Social media, such as Twitter, has become the first and the most frequent place to visit in order to gain information and establish situational awareness in emergencies and disasters. The purpose of this paper is to examine public opinion on Twitter in different disaster stages using the case of Hurricane Irma. Design/methodology/approach More than 3.5m tweets capturing the entire disaster lifecycle were collected and analyzed. Topic modeling was used to generate topics at each disaster stage based on Fink’s (1986) four-stage model of crisis and disaster: prodromal, acute, chronic and termination stages. Findings The results revealed that media reliance varied across different stages. All topics in the prodromal stage were associated with the early warning and real-time news. The topic of lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey was the most popular at this stage. The acute stage recorded the highest number of daily tweets. The most popular topic was the safety of people and animals. In the chronic stage too, the safety of people and animals remained a major concern. Heroic and anti-social behaviors also received substantial attention. In the termination stage, climate change was the most frequently discussed topic. Politics-related discussions were heated. Originality/value The results extended and enhanced the four-stage model of crisis and disaster. These findings can help government agencies and crisis managers address audience needs effectively at various crisis stages in a timely manner.

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