Twitter Can Be A Lifesaver If Used Correctly

Twitter Can Be A Lifesaver If Used Correctly

Twitter is used for all sorts of things. If you were to ask some of your friends, colleagues, or family members what they thought Twitter was for, you may get some answers similar to this: “It is a place where internet trolls live”, “It’s where Donald Trump insults entire nations”, or even “the social network where Kim K Tweets her nude selfies”. Well yes, all those things do happen on Twitter, but what is often forgotten is the power that Twitter has in times of crisis such as natural disasters.

2018 has so far seemed like a year in which the earth may cease to spin, with record breaking earthquakes, wildfires, and now Hurricane Florence ripping through the east coast of the United States. It’s time like these that people look to their local governments for information as it could very well mean life or death. Some countries have taken advantage of Twitter’s “megaphone” like design in which emergency response organizations can reach millions in just one simple Tweet. For example, Japan often uses Twitter to distribute disaster relief information quickly and efficiently, most recently being utilized during the major floods that the island nation experienced this summer (See how Twitter lights up during natural disasters in the video below).

So, what makes Twitter so powerful for information sharing during a disaster? Arguably the most important reason is that It's super mobile friendly. People may not be able to be monitor their television set in an emergency situation. There also may be situations in which people may need to evacuate their homes leaving everything behind, making a mobile device way easier to carry around in times of crisis to receive information.

5 things organizations need to consider… 

While Twitter is indeed a powerful tool during natural disasters, it will only be successful if used correctly by government organizations and disaster relief teams. Some tips that have proven to be successful in the past are:

1. Twitter is a loud place, so make sure people can find your information: Use local hashtags to disseminate your information on Twitter so it doesn't get mixed in with the national or global conversation. [1]
2. Tweet correct information in a timely manner: Organizations which keep their information up to date during a crisis are seen as more credible. Real-time updates are important in times where information is rampant from multiple sources. [2]
3. Use Twitter as a listening tool: Twitter provides powerful real-time feedback on what is happening at ground zero. Make sure to use Twitter to see what people are experiencing or what they’re saying. This may be helpful in crafting your information such as tone, severity, etc. [2]
4. Set expectations correctly: sometimes disaster communication may feel more personal to citizens on Twitter which may lead them to be more likely to reply to your official messages. Make sure you craft your information in way in which they understand that not everyone may be responded to individually on Twitter. This may help to set expectations and avoid a poor public reflection. [3]
5. Prepare: Make sure to have your natural disaster social media strategy in place before a catastrophe occurs. You won’t have time to figure it out in times of a natural disaster. [2]

While there are always unforeseen situations that happen in times of crisis, following the above will give you the basics and make you and your organization more prepared for when the weather takes a turn for the worst.

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About the author:

Tyler Pilgrim is a Communication Science Research Master’s student at the University of Amsterdam. Tyler is originally from the United States (No, he didn’t vote for Trump), but has been on this side of the pond since 2015. You can find him on Twitter here: @the.

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[1] Lachlan, K. A., Spence, P. R., Lin, X., Najarian, K., & Greco, M. D. (2016). Social media and crisis management: CERC, search strategies, and Twitter content. Computers in Human Behavior,54, 647-652. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.05.027

[2] Eriksson, M. (2018). Lessons for Crisis Communication on Social Media: A Systematic Review of What Research Tells the Practice. International Journal of Strategic Communication,12(5), 526-551. doi:10.1080/1553118x.2018.1510405

[3] Reuter, C., Lee Hughes, A., Kaufhold, M. (2018) Social Media in Crisis Management: An Evaluation and Analysis of Crisis Informatics Research. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2018.1427832