The space between us: Twitter and crisis communication

Abstract

Purpose -A key concept within the wider practice of crisis informatics is situational awareness, which refers to the way that social media can be used to provide local, situation-specific information. This information may be used for disaster response communication and resilience building. The purpose of this study is to argue that, in this context, situational awareness relies on an overly literal interpretation of information sent via the micro-blogging service Twitter. Design/methodology/approach -The paper reviews relevant literature, including work that seeks to establish social media as a key tool in terms of crisis informatics. It discusses relevant theoretical debates and uses recent examples to interrogate these concepts. Findings -The paper identifies several issues that complicate the interpretation and application of information from Twitter during crises. Not only can misinformation circulate during disaster events, the relationship between complex meaning-making processes, taking place both online and offline, is not yet well-understood. Locating digital data in physical time and space can better illuminate the dynamics of communication on Twitter. Research limitations/implications -This is a theoretical discussion paper. It requires empirical work to question and to develop its theoretical findings. Practical implications -The paper discusses implications for designing crisis informatics tools. It suggests that the cross-referencing of data may assist in the verification and interpretation of tweet content in regards to situational awareness. Originality/value -This paper advances an important theoretical discussion with practical implications in an emergent field in crisis communication. It highlights the importance of focusing on temporal and spatial parameters for better evaluating situational awareness.

The Good, the Bad, and the Uncertain: Contributions of Volunteered Geographic Information to Community Disaster Resilience

“…In the 2011 Queensland floods Crowdmap, 75% of reports were verified by the map conveners, but many of these had been submitted by identifiable organizations, and, significantly, anonymous individuals were responsible for almost all of the unverified messages (Bittner et al, 2016). Pond (2016) argues that treating verification of crowdsourced data as a binary variable (verified or unverified) on platforms such as Ushahidi may limit the quantity of information that can be used for situational awareness. There is a need to consider the cognitive dimension of uncertainty and how perceptions of reported accuracy translate in decision-making processes (Bruce, 2004).…”

“…Deviations from this messaging can be detrimental to community safety. Further, the accelerated rate of information exchange enabled by social media and VGI during an event may become incompatible with the logistics involved in coordinating response activities (Pond, 2016). Public preference for multiple disaster information sources emphasizes that VGI should not aim to replace more traditional forms of disaster communication (Taylor et al, 2012;.…”

“…The evolving and relatively embryonic nature of VGI in disaster management means practical adoption of VGI into current emergency management approaches has been limited to date and harnessing of VGI has often been ad hoc or opportunistic. Despite a growing body of literature (Goodchild and Glennon, 2010;Ostermann and Spinsanti, 2011;Bird et al, 2012;Dufty, 2012;Meier, 2012;Taylor et al, 2012;Shanley et al, 2013;Paton and Irons, 2016;Pond, 2016;Haworth, 2018) and identified opportunities associated with VGI, on-going cultural change involving adaption by authoritative emergency management to less information control and increased citizen participation may be required before VGI in disaster management becomes a more established field with measurable outcomes for community disaster resilience.…”

Virality and the Virus: Drugs and Cures on Twitter During the COVID-19 Crisis in India

“…Traditionally, studies have focused on crises that are specific to locations or sub-populations of concern, and subsequent data collection efforts have been guided by geographical anchoring [48]. However, there are increasing calls to bring together virtual data with offline messages to understand the dynamic nature of misinformation spread during crises [49]. However, the temporal longevity of the COVID-19 pandemic, its disproportionately large death toll across regions and age groups, makes it an exceptional emergency.…”

Colombian political leaders on Twitter during the Covid‐19 pandemic

“…Political representatives give recommendations and instructions on how people should behave to protect their own lives and their loved ones and minimize the damage in general to overcome the crisis as quickly and effectively as possible. One of the communication tools of the twenty‐first century accessible to the public that helps inform the population during crisis situations is the social network Twitter (Bakker et al, 2019 ; Eriksson & Olsson, 2016 ; Helsloot & Groenendaal, 2013 ; Interdonato et al, 2019 ; Kawchuk et al, 2020 ; O'Loughlin et al, 2017 ; Pond, 2016 ).…”