In times of crisis, people turn to each other for help and support. Systems that can be interrupted during an emergency may play a significant role in helping individuals or groups connect with others.
These systems include things like messaging apps, chat rooms, forums, and video calling software. All of these have something in common: they are all ways to communicate and interact with other people.
By limiting access to some or all of these tools at key moments, social media companies are interfering with this connectivity. They’re creating “emergency modes” that limit users’ ability to talk to each other.
This is very frustrating when you want to reach out to someone but there is no way to do it. More than that, it can hinder urgent conversations about how to respond to an incident or prevent people from connecting to get advice before engaging in such discussions.
It also makes it more difficult to ask for help later if necessary because people will not be able to contact you. This could hurt responses to an event or reduce solidarity in time of need.
Many people use social media to connect with friends, share experiences, and check in for updates about what is happening in their community or around the world. When something happens that seems significant, like when an earthquake hits or a hurricane destroys part of a city, many people become aware through shared experience.
In fact, social media can sometimes hinder emergency management because it often times creates a sense of urgency. People want to talk about how they are helping by sharing resources and information, so there can be too much chatter at a time when officials need silence.
Furthermore, some individuals may feel compelled to contribute to the conversation even if it is not relevant or appropriate. This amplifies the already loud voice count and can drown out important information from professionals.
Social media can also create false expectations, causing overprepare-ism. For example, after a major disaster, people will frequently mention how they saw photos of people donating blood, but those donations never happened. If someone were planning on doing that, then seeing the pictures could make them hesitate.
Following a major disaster, people flock to social media to see how many friends they have lost or what pictures of their house they can share.
They may also post about how much money they spent on food or advertisements they read online that helped them coordinate help. All of these posts emphasize the importance of social media as an important tool in emergency management.
However, there is one significant fact you must remember when reading such posts- numbers speak only so clearly. They say nothing about whether helping others was enjoyable or not.
They do not ask if you feel good after posting about donations or having conversations with family members over shared experiences.
Social media may be necessary for some things, but it does not hold up well under the weighty responsibility of emotional engagement. It would be better used for keeping in touch with people instead of creating wider divisions.
Recent events have shown that after a disaster, people go crazy on social media.
They publish false information or rumors about the event to gain attention or sympathy for themselves. This is very unfortunate because it can spread like wildfire and influence others.
It also seems to contradict our initial point which was how social media can help in emergency management.
After a major incident, officials use all sorts of tools to gather information. They test theories by doing experiments, looking at past incidents, talking to witnesses and studying pictures and videos.
This process takes time so people sometimes upload confusing or even fake material as part of this research. It could be discouraging people from sharing true information or delaying important investigations.
People may also underestimate the amount of damage done to the area. When they see a picture or video of large amounts of water, for example, they might assume there’s less risk of disease than there actually is.
Research shows that one third of all illness comes down to exposure to contaminated fluids, soil, and waste. Even small exposures can hurt you.
That’s why experts say we should pay more attention to staying healthy while helping out at an affected location. You don’t need special training to do that!
Healthy behaviors like eating well, exercising, and not smoking will keep you fit and protect your overall health. Plus, being in good shape helps if you must work outside during an emergency.
During some emergencies, there is no way to prevent people from talking about it. A natural disaster can prompt conversations that spread information and help coordinate aid.
During Hurricane Harvey, one of the biggest issues was cell phone coverage. Many areas did not have enough cellular service to allow for effective communication.
Some people used Snapchat to send pictures and videos which helped document what happened and connect with others outside of of the area. It also gave people a sense of normal as they were able to watch YouTube or other streaming services.
Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter allowed people in affected areas to communicate and update their status’s. This enabled resources to keep track of important information and make sure nothing got lost due to lack of knowledge.
Overall, social media played a major role in helping individuals recover from and get back into routine after the hurricane passed.
It can sometimes hinder your department’s ability to communicate effectively with people during an emergency.
During Hurricane Harvey, for example, officials had to combat misinformation spread online about where residents could go to get help.
Some individuals posted inaccurate information about shelters or directed people to closed facilities, which only made things harder for first responders trying to assist everyone in need.
Officials also faced challenges due to the fact that many workers were distracted by their phones while they were at work. This is especially true now since so much of our daily life has become digital.
Businesses rely heavily on technology, so when it comes down to it, people lose out.
As we all know, during an urgent situation like a natural disaster or terrorist attack, things can get pretty crazy.
People often feel overwhelmed as they try to help others while also looking for answers about what is happening.
Social media makes it easy to connect with people who have similar interests to yours and learn from their experiences.
By offering real time updates, pictures and videos, people share information that could help you in your search for knowledge.
However, this does not always work in favor of emergency management.
During a crisis, working communication systems can be overloaded and limited resources can prevent effective spread of important messages.
This is particularly true when it comes to online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter where anyone can post anything at any time.
Regularly using these sites during an emergency will only add extra stress onto already burdened professionals.
During times of crisis, people come together to feel connected. People connect through conversations, messages, and pictures posted online.
This is how most social networks function!
By having these connections, we learn more about other individuals and gain insights into who they are. We also get inspired by their lives and what they have going on.
In fact, psychologist Daniel Goleman has done research showing that emotional connection helps us achieve goals in our daily lives.
So, why would social media hinder emergency management? Because it can hurt your goal of getting help for survivors or rescuing lost souls.
When disasters occur, many people share information about where others may need help or ask if you’re okay. This connects everyone else with each other, but it also gives away important information like where there might be food or water, or even whether someone needs help finding shelter.
Posting this info could prevent someone from seeking out those resources because they don’t want to expose their personal details. It could scare them enough that they avoid helping anyone at all. Or worse, it could distract them from directly assisting victims or rescuers.
During times of national crisis, people come together to connect and share information.
This is important because it helps spread knowledge and understanding of what needs to be done next.
It also raises awareness about emergencies so that others can be prepared.
However, when there’s an emergency, most people will want to stay as close to home as possible.
They will avoid going out unless they have to in order to make sure their families are safe.
This is totally normal and makes sense!
After all, why would someone go outside when it’s raining or snowing? Or when power lines might short circuit and start a fire?
By staying indoors, individuals limit themselves to online resources and technology equipment.
These things are crucial for helping people remain connected while working from home.
That’s why many governments ask people to remain at home and refrain from non-essential travel even if it feels good to do something else.
It could put additional stress and pressure on already overloaded systems.
Utilizing social media during an emergency is not a good idea.
Why?
Here are some reasons.
Using social media during this time will only add to the workload of first responders, government officials, and your department.
Technology takes up too much time and energy and creating distractions can hinder operational effectiveness.
