The Evolving Role of the Public Information Officer: An Examination of Social Media in Emergency Management

Author(s):  
Amanda L. Hughes ◽  
Leysia Palen
Author(s):  
Mark Latonero ◽  
Irina Shklovski

This paper considers how emergency response organizations utilize available social media technologies to communicate with the public in emergencies and to potentially collect valuable information using the public as sources of information on the ground. The authors discuss the use of public social media tools from the emergency management professional’s viewpoint with a particular focus on the use of Twitter. Limited research has investigated Twitter usage in crisis situations from an organizational perspective. This paper contributes to the understanding of organizational innovation, risk communication, and technology adoption by emergency management. An in-depth longitudinal case study of Public Information Officers (PIO) of the Los Angeles Fire Department highlights the importance of the information evangelist within emergency management organizations and details the challenges those organizations face engaging with social media and Twitter. This article provides insights into practices and challenges of new media implementation for crisis and risk management organizations.


Author(s):  
Mark Latonero ◽  
Irina Shklovski

This paper considers how emergency response organizations utilize available social media technologies to communicate with the public in emergencies and to potentially collect valuable information using the public as sources of information on the ground. The authors discuss the use of public social media tools from the emergency management professional’s viewpoint with a particular focus on the use of Twitter. Limited research has investigated Twitter usage in crisis situations from an organizational perspective. This paper contributes to the understanding of organizational innovation, risk communication, and technology adoption by emergency management. An in-depth longitudinal case study of Public Information Officers (PIO) of the Los Angeles Fire Department highlights the importance of the information evangelist within emergency management organizations and details the challenges those organizations face engaging with social media and Twitter. This article provides insights into practices and challenges of new media implementation for crisis and risk management organizations.


Epidemiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-94
Author(s):  
Mst. Marium Begum ◽  
Osman Ulvi ◽  
Ajlina Karamehic-Muratovic ◽  
Mallory R. Walsh ◽  
Hasan Tarek ◽  
...  

Background: Chikungunya is a vector-borne disease, mostly present in tropical and subtropical regions. The virus is spread by Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitos and symptoms include high fever to severe joint pain. Dhaka, Bangladesh, suffered an outbreak of chikungunya in 2017 lasting from April to September. With the goal of reducing cases, social media was at the forefront during this outbreak and educated the public about symptoms, prevention, and control of the virus. Popular web-based sources such as the top dailies in Bangladesh, local news outlets, and Facebook spread awareness of the outbreak. Objective: This study sought to investigate the role of social and mainstream media during the chikungunya epidemic. The study objective was to determine if social media can improve awareness of and practice associated with reducing cases of chikungunya. Methods: We collected chikungunya-related information circulated from the top nine television channels in Dhaka, Bangladesh, airing from 1st April–20th August 2017. All the news published in the top six dailies in Bangladesh were also compiled. The 50 most viewed chikungunya-related Bengali videos were manually coded and analyzed. Other social media outlets, such as Facebook, were also analyzed to determine the number of chikungunya-related posts and responses to these posts. Results: Our study showed that media outlets were associated with reducing cases of chikungunya, indicating that media has the potential to impact future outbreaks of these alpha viruses. Each media outlet (e.g., web, television) had an impact on the human response to an individual’s healthcare during this outbreak. Conclusions: To prevent future outbreaks of chikungunya, media outlets and social media can be used to educate the public regarding prevention strategies such as encouraging safe travel, removing stagnant water sources, and assisting with tracking cases globally to determine where future outbreaks may occur.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Joel M. Topf ◽  
Paul N. Williams

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an avalanche of information, much of it false or misleading. Social media posts with misleading or dangerous opinions and analyses are often amplified by celebrities and social media influencers; these posts have contributed substantially to this avalanche of information. An emerging force in this information infodemic is public physicians, doctors who view a public presence as a large segment of their mission. These physicians bring authority and real-world experience to the COVID-19 discussion. To investigate the role of public physicians, we interviewed a convenience cohort of physicians who have played a role in the infodemic. We asked the physicians about how their roles have changed, how their audience has changed, what role politics plays, and how they address misinformation. The physicians noted increased audience size with an increased focus on the pandemic. Most avoided confronting politics, but others found it unavoidable or that even if they tried to avoide it, it would be brought up by their audience. The physicians felt that confronting and correcting misinformation was a core part of their mission. Public physicians on social media are a new occurrence and are an important part of fighting online misinformation.


Publika ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 215-226
Author(s):  
MUHAMMAD RIZAL FIRDAUS ◽  
Muhammad Farid Ma'ruf

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui masalah Partisipasi dalam Program Pemberdayaan Masyarakat yang ada di RW 20 Kelurahan Citrodiwangsan. Peneliti menggunakan metode riset kualitatif . Responden dalam penelitian ini yaitu kader dan warga RW 20 Kelurahan Citrodiwangsan. Data dikumpulkan dengan wawancara dan observasi. Penelitian ini menghasilkan tiga temuan. Pertama, partisipasi perencanaan masih tergolong kurang pro aktif dalam mengedukasi warga dikarenakan masih banyak RT yang tidak bisa mewadahi dan mengedukasi masyarakat untuk aktif dalam kegiatan Posyandu Gerbangmas. Kedua, terkait partisipasi pelaksanaan kegiatan masih banyak masyarakat yang memandang sebelah mata kegiatan ini meskipun seluruh warga telah diikutkan secara menyeluruh, hal ini karena kurangnya sosialisasi dari pengurus kader. Ketiga, faktor penghambat yaitu kurangnya memahami arti partisipasi yang rendah dimana masyarakat masih sibuk dengan kesibukannya sendiri serta kurangnya peran RT untuk mendorong masyarakatnya dalam memberikan pengertian akan pentingnya kegiatan posyandu. Oleh karena itu, dari beberapa masalah-masalah yang telah peneliti temukan maka peneliti memiliki saran yang bertujuan untuk memaksimalkan kader maupun RT dalam mengajak masyarakat. Saran tersebut diantaranya adalah pelaksanaan posyandu dilaksanakan pada hari libur, kegiatan posyandu tidak hanya ditempatkan pada satu titik tetapi dijadwalkan untuk berpindah ketempat kawasan lainnya dan memanfaatkan fasilitas media sosial untuk memberikan sosialisasi dan informasi kesehatan balita dan lansia. Kata kunci: masalah partisipasi, program pemberdayaan masyarakat, partisipasi perencanaan, partisipasi pelaksanaan, faktor penghambat partisipasi   This study aims to determine the problem of participation in the Community Empowerment Program in RW 20 Citrodiwangsan Village. Respondents in this study were cadres and residents of RW 20 Citrodiwangsan Village. Data were collected by interview and observation. This study resulted in three findings. First, planning participation is still classified as less proactive in educating residents because there are still many RTs that cannot accommodate and educate the public to be active in Gerbangmas Posyandu activities. Second, with regard to participation in the implementation of activities, there are still many people who underestimate this activity even though all residents have been included as a whole, this is due to the lack of socialization from the cadre management. Third, the inhibiting factor is the lack of understanding of the meaning of low participation where the community is still busy with their own activities and the lack of the role of the RT in encouraging the community to provide an understanding of the importance of posyandu activities. Therefore, from some of the problems that researchers have found, the researcher has suggestions that aim to maximize cadres and RTs in inviting the community. These suggestions include that the implementation of posyandu is carried out on holidays, posyandu activities are not only placed at one point but are scheduled to move to another area and utilizing social media facilities to provide socilization and health information for toddlers and the elderly. Keywords: participation problems, community empowerment programs, planning participation, implementation participation, inhibiting factors for participation


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Mirbabaie ◽  
Stefan Stieglitz ◽  
Felix Brünker

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate communication on Twitter during two unpredicted crises (the Manchester bombings and the Munich shooting) and one natural disaster (Hurricane Harvey). The study contributes to understanding the dynamics of convergence behaviour archetypes during crises.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected Twitter data and analysed approximately 7.5 million relevant cases. The communication was examined using social network analysis techniques and manual content analysis to identify convergence behaviour archetypes (CBAs). The dynamics and development of CBAs over time in crisis communication were also investigated.FindingsThe results revealed the dynamics of influential CBAs emerging in specific stages of a crisis situation. The authors derived a conceptual visualisation of convergence behaviour in social media crisis communication and introduced the terms hidden and visible network-layer to further understanding of the complexity of crisis communication.Research limitations/implicationsThe results emphasise the importance of well-prepared emergency management agencies and support the following recommendations: (1) continuous and (2) transparent communication during the crisis event as well as (3) informing the public about central information distributors from the start of the crisis are vital.Originality/valueThe study uncovered the dynamics of crisis-affected behaviour on social media during three cases. It provides a novel perspective that broadens our understanding of complex crisis communication on social media and contributes to existing knowledge of the complexity of crisis communication as well as convergence behaviour.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-49
Author(s):  
Lu An ◽  
Junyang Hu ◽  
Manting Xu ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
Chuanming Yu

The highly influential users on social media platforms may lead the public opinion about public events and have positive or negative effects on the later evolution of events. Identifying highly influential users on social media is of great significance for the management of public opinion in the context of public events. In this study, the highly influential users of social media are divided into three types (i.e., topic initiator, opinion leader, and opinion reverser). A method of profiling highly influential users is proposed based on topic consistency and emotional support. The event of “Jiankui He Editing the Infants' Genes” was investigated. The three types of users were identified, and their opinion differences and dynamic evolution were revealed. The comprehensive profiles of highly influential users were constructed. The findings can help emergency management departments master the focus of attention and emotional attitudes of the key users and provide the method and data support for opinion management and decision-making of public events.


2021 ◽  
pp. 49-52
Author(s):  
Shrivastava P ◽  
Verma S ◽  
Khushboo Khushboo ◽  
Bhattacharya P K

Despite the ubiquity of health-related communications via social media, no consensus has emerged what information should be conveyed and how it should be conveyed to avoid creating panic among general population. With lockdowns social media, mass media became as a habit by people for news, information regarding COVID-19 and it is practiced even after lockdown. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mass media, social media and local news has become as the source of a toxic “infodemic” source for public. It contained both solicited and unsolicited advice. No conceptual model exists for examining the roles of media. It is important to rst assess the important mis-information, role of infodemics and prevalent casualness among the public regarding the COVID-19. Till mass vaccination is not commenced it is prudent to emphasize guidelines and practices as per COVID guidelines like social distancing, wearing mask, hand hygiene


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Silvia Widya Kusumaningtyas ◽  
Zon Vanel

<span lang="IN">Social media is one type of new media that facilitates the process of communication among human. Social media makes it easy for users to communicate and share information in a wider range. At present, not only people use Instagram, but the government also needs to keep up with the time to participate in using Instagram as an online information media. Public Relations of the Salatiga Government is one of the public relations departments that uses Instagram as an online information media to provide information needed by the community.<br /> This research aimed to find out how the content of the information was<span>  </span>and how the role of instagram was as an information deliverance to the citizen by the public relations of Salatiga. Through qualitative methods research, data is collected by means of interviews and observations. The results showed that the Salatiga <span> </span>Government Public Relations Instagram account had a role to increase brand awareness, connect many people and as a source of information/ business promotion.Public Relations of the Salatiga Government considers that Instagram plays an active role in conveying information to the public. This is seen from the many positive responses received by the Salatiga City Government Public Relations during managing Instagram as a modern information deliverance.<span>     </span></span>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Tuccori ◽  
Irma Convertino ◽  
Sara Ferraro ◽  
Emiliano Cappello ◽  
Giulia Valdiserra ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in 2020 triggered a massive dissemination of information (“infodemic”) about the disease channeled through the web and social media. This “infodemic” included also sensational and distorted information about drugs, which likely affected primarily opinion leaders and people particularly active on social media, and subsequently other peoples leading to inadequate choices by individual patients everywhere. In particular, for some drugs approved with other indications, namely chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, NSAIDs, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, favipiravir and umifenovir, information has spread that has led to a hazardous use. In this article, we analyzed the rationale behind the claim for use of these drugs in COVID-19, the communication about their effect on the disease, the consequences of this communication on people's behavior and the response of some influential regulatory authorities in an attempt to minimize the actual or potential risks arising from this behavior. Finally, we discussed the role of pharmacovigilance stakeholders in emergency management and possible strategies to be put in place to deal with other similar situations in the future.


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