How social media has helped families, social workers, and the government in discerning information during calamities?
Social media is a large platform for sharing our views, to express our thoughts, stay updated, and connected with the changing trends, family, and friends. We are aware that social media is incredibly useful for disseminating knowledge about multiple disasters. It also played an important role during natural calamities.
Families
Any family and other people can easily connect with their relatives who live in other places, particularly during natural disasters. For example, imagine you're in another country and you keep hearing on the news that the Philippines has been struck by a series of natural disasters. You don't know what to do, and you're concerned about your loved ones. Suddenly, the thought of using social media (messenger) to contact your family comes to your mind. Through that, the nervousness you're feeling has been lessen down.
Social Workers
It can be used by social workers to disseminate information during disasters, as well as to recruit volunteers and donors. Social media allows social work educators to communicate with colleagues all over the world. Educators can share information and resources in real time by using Twitter or a specialized Facebook group. In addition, social media can really helped social workers during calamities.
Government
The government can use social media to distribute or disseminate information. It will even give out updates about future training drills and activities. Notifications may also be provided to alert first responders to an emergency. For example, the government used Facebook and Twitter to respond to messages and provide information about the unexpected typhoon a few months ago. They also raise money and support by encouraging donations and facilitating the distribution of help via social media.
Media VS. Social Media
Information gathered by social media is much more valuable than information obtained exclusively through the newspapers of the past (TV, radio, and print). People today tend to use social media rather than watch TV or listen to the radio because social media has become a prevalent cultural force in the modern world. It allows us to engage with anybody, anywhere in the world, who shares our interests and activities, regardless of political, social, economic, or geographical boundaries. Also in crises, the rise of social media plays a key role in disseminating catastrophe information. The media, on the other hand, is useful because it provides information. Knowledge was transmitted through television, radio, and print at the time. By modulating the radio signal, people were able to transfer information across space from a transmitter to a receiver. And it's become increasingly difficult to do so, particularly with social media being a convenient way to find knowledge and communicate with our families. All in all, social media is much more better than media.
