Using Social Networks to Respond to Emergencies
The article “Social Networks Are Changing How We Respond to Emergencies” explains how social networks have not only changed the way people communicate with each other and access information on a daily basis, but have also changed the way people can respond to emergency situations. Recently, Facebook introduced a new feature called “Safety Check” which is a tool that allows users in an area that has been affected by a natural disaster or crisis to check in with their family and friends to let them know they are safe. After a disaster strikes, the tool is activated and can detect if you are located in the affected area based on where you are using the Internet. If you are in the area, the tool will send you a Facebook notification asking if you’re safe. You can then notify Facebook that you are safe and a News Feed story will then be sent out with your update. The tool also allows you to mark your friends as safe and will send you a notification if your friends in the affected area have marked themselves as safe.
The creation of this tool was inspired by how people used social media to connect with their family and friends following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Similarly, Twitter released a feature last year called “Twitter Alerts” that helps users access important information during disasters and emergencies. For example, organizations such as FEMA, the CDC, and the Department of Homeland Security can send Twitter alerts with up-to-date information on the situation. The Scientific American magazine reported that “social media has become an integral part of disaster response” beginning with Hurricane Sandy in 2012. For example, following the storm, utility companies used tweets to direct residents to tents and generators. Similarly, after the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013, it was reported that 25% of Americans relied on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks to obtain information.
However, because of the public’s reliance on social media to obtain information during such events, there also exists a risk of misinformation being rapidly diffused throughout these networks. In order to counter this, FEMA created a “Rumor Control” page after Hurricane Sandy in order to stop the spread of false information.
Going forward, it will also be important to create tools and applications that do not rely on WiFi networks to communicate with one another because traditional WiFi may not be available during the time of such an emergency. Rather, applications should use “mesh networking”, which does not require a traditional data connection or WiFi signal.
I found this article to be extremely interesting as it shows how social networks have become such an integral part of today’s society. In class we have learned how information and ideas are diffused throughout social networks and this article proves that even in emergency situations, we continue to rely on such networks to find out both information about our loved ones as well as up-to-date reports from professionals on the situation at hand. However, going forward, we must be cognizant of the threat of false information quickly circulating throughout society and the costs that this may impose on us during times of distress.
Read the full article here: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/technology/social-networks-are-changing-how-we-respond-to-emergencies.html/?a=viewall