Exploring the Workings of Social Media in Coordination during Crisis Response: Is there more to the Resource?
Innova Institute, as part of the Networks, Information, Technology and Innovation Management (NITIM) Graduate School, is undertaking a research initiative funded by the Marie Curie Program under the European Commission that looks at the dynamics of crisis management in a networked environment. One of the projects housed in Innova Institute seeks to understand the dynamics of social media use and coordination during crisis situations, and specifically investigate complementary capabilities that are needed by organizations which use social media to enhance coordination during crisis response.
The recent years has seen an evolved approach to crisis management. Tracking global crises that occurred in the last ten years, from natural disasters like Asian Tsunami that hit the Indian Coast in 2004, Hurricane Katrina that hit the US in 2005, the Haiti Earthquake in 2010, the Triple Disaster that hit Japan in 2011, and the most recent Super Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines in 2013, or man-made crises like the Virginia Massacre in 2007 and the Northern Illinois shooting in 2008, information technology has played an important enabling role in crisis management. One important component of information technology that has gained ground in crisis management is social media. Social media has enabled varying levels of interaction among vast stakeholders. It has also altered the pattern of information cascade from a one-way to a two-way approach, thus allowing the general public to become not just consumers but also producers of information.
Media Source: Google Images
In more ways than one, social media has proven to be an important resource in crisis response. Some success stories of social media in enabling engagement and coordination among various stakeholders have been manifested in the following: establishment of crisis response structure; public inclusion; quick information turn-around; creation of virtual community of humanitarian volunteers and crisis responders; functionality as a tool to communicate and receive victim requests, establish situational awareness, and create damage estimates; and its functionality as a tool to enrich information for decision-making. Indeed, social media has proven to enhance coordination in crisis situations at least in the aspect where prompt coordination and quick information need to be cascaded.
Interestingly, social media on its own remains merely a tangible resource until activated for specific purpose and specific use. While social media is undoubtedly being used in crisis situations, effective coordination in crisis response depends on more than just the attainment of social media as a resource. An interesting take off point therefore is an inquiry on what makes social media work: we know that social media works and could potentially enhance coordination during crisis response – but how do we make it work when it comes to dealing with the inevitable negatives? What are the building blocks of social media – is the existence of specific capabilities that complement social media use going to make coordination better? Or does it go beyond the acquisition of such capabilities? Another crucial aspect that needs to be investigated is how successful coordination is measured during crisis response – and to what extent can such success be attributed to the existence of capabilities that complement social media use? These are preliminary reflections that are expected to more concretely shape the research endeavour.
Bianca Villar
PhD Candidate & Marie Curie Fellow