This research set out to explore how individuals used Twitter during the Gatlinburg, Tennessee wildfire event of November 2016. More specifically, how and what did people from different geolocations share via Twitter during the crisis event and what gratifications were sought by their use of Twitter. A content analysis was completed on a stratified sample of tweets separated by geographic location. Based on prior uses and gratifications research, tweet and retweet content was coded as informational, social, and/or distractive. Findings from this research showed that individuals tweeted and retweeted at a fairly even rate despite their geographical location and that while information seeking and sharing was an important factor for users, social connectivity was the most important gratification to users during this crisis. / Master of Arts / This paper explored how and why individuals used Twitter during the Gatlinburg, Tennessee wildfire event in November 2016. Tweets from individuals who were in local, regional, and non-local areas were analyzed and coded based on the content of their tweet or retweet. Results from this research showed that the social connection an individual receives from using Twitter was the most important factor for using the service during a crisis situation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/81962 |
| Date | 29 January 2018 |
| Creators | Bartos, Colleen Marie |
| Contributors | Communication, Horning, Michael A., Tedesco, John C., Mackay, Jennifer B. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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