Social Media’s Role in Emergencies

On this day of remembrance for the 9/11 tragedies, we might think how social media plays a role in emergencies today. Last week two Australian girls were caught in a drain (not sure how that happened) and they updated their Facebook statuses to tell friends they were trapped instead of calling Australian authorities. Friends alerted authorities, and the girls were rescued. There is speculation whether the girls had access to make a phone call and if they were in actual dire need.

Sure, the girls’ situation certainly was alarming. But I don’t find it particularly surprising that they used Facebook.

In a panic situation, we often reach out to others close to us for support. In this case, by the girls updating their statuses, they were reaching friends and family members by a few taps on their phones’ keypad. It’s a comfortable system they probably use frequently. As a digital native, they are probably more accustomed to the web and social media than the phone. Certainly this caused a delay in helping the girls out of danger.

We should not ignore this story. The event is another instance that shows social media is not about specific platforms. It is truly integrated in how people communicate as a whole. This event demonstrates that young people will react to an event by using familiar communication channels, which is often social media.

We should make sure that children know how to respond appropriately in an emergency in our digital age. Perhaps there needs to be an educational program for children about emergency safety in the digital age. Young people need to understand that, while the wisdom of the crowd will always be there for day-to-day matters, the crowd isn’t always the best choice in urgent situations.

Police and fire authorities are using Twitter to alert residents about neighborhood watches or events, showing that authorities are using social media for communication. However, there is a missing link between people using social media to respond to an emergency situation and authorities using it to release information.

What do you think?

Photo from here.

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