Social Media in DisasterRocky Lopes

Disaster Preparedness Duderocky@rockylopes.com

What is “social media”A category of sites that is based on user

participation and user-generated content.

Is this “web 2.0?”“Web 2.0” is a term-of-art with implied but

unspecific meaning

“Web 2.0” conference of 2004 coined the term

Refers to cumulative ways in which software developers and end-users use the web

Who uses social media?More than 400,000,000 active Facebook

users (6/2010)106,000,000 Twitter users (5/2010)53,000,000 LinkedIn users (3/2010)140,000 blogs on Blogger, 65,000 blogs on

LiveJournalMedian age of Facebook users has changed

from age 19 (2008) to age 34 (2010).Frequency: Facebook says the “average”

user visits Facebook 15x per day.

How is social media used?User-generated updates via various wireless

platforms (beyond traditional PC): iPhone, Blackberry, Android, etc.

Status updatesPhoto sharingRequestsRants

Government uses of Social Media

Disaster related uses

More examples

Another example

FearsPrivacy concerns“TMI”Feeling

compelled to monitor for accuracy and correct information

Can’t handle “one more thing.”

CopingIt’s here and it’s not going awayMore people are using it as a primary

means of communicationA highly “vulnerable to disaster”

population is all over social media technologies – that is, “the invulnerable population” – students!

BenefitsVisible community presenceSharing accurate informationTailoring information for a community It can be viral