What we Tweet about when we Tweet about Disasters: The Nature and Sources of Microblog Comments during Emergencies

Abstract

This study examines messages sent by users of the microblog service Twitter during natural and technological disasters. A constant comparison model is used to generate categories of content in an attempt to build an inductive picture of the kinds of messages microblog users seek and send during disasters. Results offer insights for communicators, planners, responders, and other professionals about how messages differ depending on disaster type, disaster size, and whether users are communication professionals or “citizen journalists.”

Central Social Media Actors in Disaster Information Networks

“…While researchers have examined how government agencies use the technology and structure message content across both public safety (Kavanaugh et al 2012;Meijer 2014) and emergency management (Hughes et al 2014;Sutton et al 2014;Wukich and Mergel 2015), recent research suggests that government agencies and other official organizations play only minor roles in online social media-driven disaster networks (Helsloot and Groenendaal 2013;Wukich and Steinberg 2013). Several studies have explored how individuals use social media during extreme events (Bruns and Stieglitz 2012;Hughes and Palen 2009;Vultee and Vultee 2011). Less research has been done on the information networks that emerge between actors and the composition of these networks (see Sutton 2010;Sutton et al 2013;Wukich and Steinberg 2013) despite the fact that people increasingly turn to social media for disaster-related information (American Red Cross 2012).…”

“…The study examined just one case, though, and did not illustrate the relationships that emerged between actors. Neither did Vultee and Vultee (2011), although they illustrated the composition of several Twitter information networks by user group and message content. Wukich and Steinberg (2013) employed social network analysis to evaluate several Twitter-based information networks.…”

“…In social media information networks, the voices of government and nonprofits do not appear as prevalent as in traditional models of crisis communication in which hub status is shared with traditional media outlets (Sutton 2010;Vultee and Vultee 2011;Wukich and Steinberg 2014). Key network positions are therefore held by other actors.…”

Searching, Sharing, Acting: How Audiences Assess and Respond to Social Media Messages about Hazards

“…Recent research has examined microblog content in more detail, exploring such topics as the relationship between message features, technology, and proximity , and the kinds of messages generated in emergencies of different types, magnitudes, and durations (Vultee and Vultee 2011). Other studies have looked at the effects of system-generated credibility cues, such as the ratio of "followers" a Twitter user has to the number of Twitter accounts that user follows and on perceptions of expertise and trustworthiness (Westerman et al 2011).…”

“…Those changes have been increasingly examined in studies of social media content Vultee and Vultee 2011). This study builds on that knowledge by presenting a diverse general audience with a variety of messages about typical emergencies or hazards and examining their reactions in a controlled experiment.…”