Social media plays an important role during multiple phases of a disaster. While it is widely known that citizens turn to social media during disasters to gain information and send help requests, there is a significant gap in our knowledge of how, or if, first responders use social media to conduct disaster response operations. To help address this gap this study employed qualitative, semi-structured interviews with a sample of first responders (N = 20) who were deployed to Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The interviews sought to gain a better understanding of how social media was used to conduct response operations and identify both limitations and advantages of social media as perceived by first responders. Through a systematic coding process the analysis identified four themes related to social media usage among first responders to disasters: (1) more than just Twitter; (2) rumor has it; (3) one size does not fit all; and (4) timing is everything. The findings of this research highlight the importance of social media for both organizations and individuals involved in responding to disasters.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1808405 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Spinuzzi, Lacey Cook |
| Contributors | Webb, Gary, Nelan, Mary, Timmons, Ronald |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | iv, 65 pages, Text |
| Rights | Public, Spinuzzi, Lacey Cook, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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