In the wake of recent natural disasters, such as the Haiti and Chile earthquakes, as well as other major events like the Hudson plane crash and terrorist actions, social services have become increasingly prominent as tools that distribute news faster than traditional media. In this role, social networks can provide timely information and even re-connect people who have been affected directly or indirectly by a calamity.
But are social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter, as well as ad hoc sites set up in the wake of a major event, really useful emergency communications services or are they simply riding a publicity wave? According to Connie White, of the Institute for Emergency Preparedness at Jacksonville State University, online social networks permit the establishment of global relationships that are domain related or can be based on some need shared by the participants. The researchers have investigated whether or not the social network paradigm can be used to enable individuals and organizations to collaborate in mutually beneficial ways in all stages of emergency management, including mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
There are already dozens of groups on two of the most popular social networking sites, Facebook and LinkedIn, that allow individuals involved in various aspects of emergency awareness and preparedness to connect, discuss and share knowledge in specific fields. But more emergency-related development work is needed. For instance, a full-fledged emergency online network would need to be able to share documents and digital resources, allow members to communicate directly and efficiently, provide a way to find specific experts in the field and beyond, share photos and video for status reports and locating missing persons. A mechanism also must be developed to allow the news media to be kept informed.
Concerns such as the threat of technology failure, hackers, stalkers, viruses, flaming and usability issues will all have to be addressed while developing emergency online networks, the researchers say. However, concerns about the credibility of social media resources already seem to have been successfully addressed, verified by a high level of mass collaboration accuracy during crises over the last couple of years.
The team points out that current social networks have limitations in terms of the collaborative tools available to users that might be repurposed for emergency use, especially since they were generally designed with socializing rather than emergency efforts in mind. Nevertheless, even the most cutting edge system will soon seem primitive as user requirements mature in all areas. Systems will ultimately emerge that allow true collaboration and have complete user control, the researchers predict. The team also suggests that in developing the use of online social networks it will be essential to engage emergency management personnel and their organizations in a dialog to determine their needs and how to best serve them.
