“Death was not in the agenda for the day”: Emotions, behavioral reactions, and perceptions in response to the 2018 Hawaii Wireless Emergency Alert

THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile Alert

“…The false missile alert in Hawaii had several unique dimensions, including its immense potential consequences (a nuclear explosion) and the nature of the warning that was simultaneously and unexpectedly spread to all mobile devices in a large area. Also, we can see and document links between the more broadcast-like dimensions of the alert system and the secondary diffusion effects, through social media, including the relaying of information to remote family and friends (DeYoung et al, 2019).…”

“…The material that follows focuses on individuals' patterns of information seeking, emotional responses, and intimate disaster response, including social media (Correa et al, 2016;DeYoung et al, 2019;Monahan & Ettinger, 2018). We identify the following three often overlapping questions, namely, (1) the believability of the mobile-mediated alert ipso facto, (2) the subsequent verification activities, and (3) the socio-expressive reaction to the alert.…”

“…An immediate question is whether people believed the mobile alert. Indeed, the effectiveness of the mobile alert system is founded on the idea that people will accept or believe the information (DeYoung et al, 2019;Gow & Waidyanatha, 2009;McGee & Gow, 2012). The literature on mobile alerts shows that initial reactions to mobile emergency messages can include confusion (Bean et al, 2016), disbelief, worry, fear (Wong et al, 2018), and skepticism.…”

“…Using focus groups, Bean et al (2016) found that mobile message composition and length are critical when considering the effectiveness of mobile alerts. Longer messages were taken more seriously (Wood et al, 2018), and they reduced the tendency to "mill" (DeYoung et al, 2019). Furthermore, mobile messages that outline the nature of the hazard and specific locations also are more effective (DeYoung et al, 2019;Wong et al, 2018).…”

“…Longer messages were taken more seriously (Wood et al, 2018), and they reduced the tendency to "mill" (DeYoung et al, 2019). Furthermore, mobile messages that outline the nature of the hazard and specific locations also are more effective (DeYoung et al, 2019;Wong et al, 2018). Following Mileti (1999), effective messages include source, guidance, hazard, location, and time.…”