Stefan Raue
School of Computing Science
University of Glasgow
The changing Role of Social
Media in Emergencies
Communications & Resilience Workshop
Falkirk, 28th February 2012
Definitions
Social Media Applications
Social Media Applications:
“[..] a group of Internet-based
applications that build on the
ideological
and
technological
foundations of Web 2.0, and that
allow the creation and exchange
of User Generated Content.”
(Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010)
Definition
Social Media Applications - Examples
Category:
Blog
Definition:
…is “a personal website or web page
on which an individual records
opinions, links to other sites, etc. on a
regular basis.“
(Oxford Dictionary)
Random Facts:
Other Platforms:
• More than 180 million blogs on the
Internet
• 270,000 words are written on Blogger
every minute (2009)
Definition
Social Media Applications - Examples
Category:
Microblog
Definition:
…is a website that allows “the posting
of very short entries or updates [..],
typically via a mobile phone.”
(Oxford Dictionary)
Random Facts:
Other Platforms:
• more than 500 million registered
users on Twitter
• more than 250 million tweets a day
• more than 2800 tweets a second
Definition
Social Media Applications - Examples
Category:
Video and Photo Sharing Platform
Definition:
…also called content communities.
They allow users to share visual
content with the wider online
community on the Internet.
Random Facts:
• more than 2 billion videos watched
on Youtube every day
• more than 6 billion photos on Flickr
• more than 6,000 images uploaded to
Flickr every minute
Other Platforms:
Definition
Social Media Applications - Examples
Category:
Social Network
Definition:
…is a “network of social interactions
and personal relationships.” It is a
“dedicated
website
or
other
application which enables users to
communicate with each other by
posting
information,
comments,
messages, images, etc..”
(Oxford Dictionary)
Random Facts:
Other Platforms:
• more than 845 million Facebook
users (~425m active every day)
• ~90 billion images uploaded to
Facebook every year (250m / day)
Social Media
Levels of SMA Integration & Public Engagement
INFORMATION
PASSIVE
MONITORING
PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT
DISSEMINATION
⓿
❶
❷
❸
❹
L E V E L O F S O C I A L M E D I A I N T E G R AT I O N
❺
BENEFIT
ACTIVE
MONITORING
WITH
OPERATIONAL
USE
PROACTIVE
PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT
Social Media Integration
Information Dissemination – Megaphone approach
Benefits:
• control over the channels (when / what / how / which)
• speed of information dissemination
• size of audience
• increased visibility of existing content / organisation
Applications:
• warning and informing the public
• campaigning and risk communication
Social Media Integration
Passive Monitoring - Get to know your audience
Benefits:
• understand public’s perception / opinion
• identify key stakeholders / influencers in communities, for
specific topics, etc.
Applications:
• evaluation of own performance (e.g. popularity)
• evaluation of campaigns (e.g. acceptance, range of
influence)
• static monitoring for specific events to gather information
Social Media Integration
Active Public Engagement – Listen & Answer & Ask
Benefits:
• shape public perception / opinion
• be more accessible to the public
• reduce load on other channels (e.g. hotlines)
Applications:
• provide direct advice to your audience in non-critical events
• ask / request information (e.g. missing people, eyewitness)
• counter rumours and misinformation
• ensure communities on a personalised level
Social Media Integration
Active SMA Monitoring – Listen & Understand & Apply
Benefits:
• near real-time monitoring of incidents / events
• improve situational awareness
• information on demand from trusted sources
Applications:
• detect events of interest that might not yet have been
reported or are still to come (e.g. illicit street party, riot
inciting messages)
• understand actions / plans / movements of groups of people
• post-event investigation (e.g. suspect identification)
Social Media Integration
Full Integration of SMAs into Operations
Benefits:
• receive information that is validated from trusted sources
• receive information that is in the required format
• link information received into other operational systems
Applications:
• alternative emergency call system
• update on situations from public or volunteer organisations
(e.g. on flood levels, snow depth, wildfires, )
• update the public in real-time about your operations (e.g.
dispatched vehicles, stock levels of sandbags, shelters)
What are the challenges?
Social Media
SMA Integration – Benefit, Cost & Risk
• manage the expectations of the
audience
MONITORING
INFORMATION
PASSIVE
MONITORING
ACTIVE
FOR
PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT
OPERATIONAL
USE
❸
❹
PROACTIVE
PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT
DISSEMINATION
⓿
❶
❷
L E V E L O F S O C I A L M E D I A I N T E G R AT I O N
❺
BENEFIT & COST & RISK
• make the objectives of your
social media presence clear to
the audience
Special thanks to @FredCavazza for making this graphic available under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Social Media Challenges
Start small. Fail early. Learn often.
Platforms
Experience,
Knowledge
Guidelines,
Best Practices,
Knowledge Exchange
• Which platforms to use?
• Where is the target audience?
• Which platforms will be important in the next years?
• How to stay ahead of the curve?
• How to evaluate platforms in restricted IT landscapes?
• How to train staff to embrace new technologies?
Stefan Raue & Prof. Chris Johnson
School of Computing Science
University of Glasgow
Thank you for your attention.
Any questions?
Stefan Raue
School of Computing Science
College of Science & Engineering
University of Glasgow
stefan.raue@glasgow.ac.uk