#wk8post

I once read a story, I have no idea if it is true but it was about a small village living on an island with a two hills, one was smaller whilst the other was much larger. There was a legend passed down in the form of song in this village that every villager knew, about a tsunami that had washed over the village a very long time before. The legend told that when the tsunami hit, the villagers headed to higher ground, some to the small hill, whilst others went to the much higher one. The song ends in the tsunami washing over the smaller mountain, yet not being large enough to wash over the second mountain, sparing the villages who sought refuge there. The whole town knew this song and passed it down for generations until one day another tsunami hit. All the villagers quickly fled to the higher hill and escaped the tsunami, watching it wash over the smaller hill.

  I think this story is a fantastic metaphor for how we now have the ability to use social media. We have the ability to immediately share our own experiences to help others, on black Saturday, regular civilians tweeted the exact location and movements of the fires, enabling those who lived in towns close by to evacuate on time. Experts also have the ability to quickly communicate how changes to wind patterns or other weather could affect the fires and who they will effect. I believe we are at a turning point where it is possible for us to have the most immediate disaster communication ever where people can work together to help others and others are always aware of disasters whether they’re tuned in to what is happening or completely unaware. However this has the potential to backfire as well. Because of the introduction of filter bubbles to social media sites like Facebook, and search engines like Google, we are increasingly being only exposed to things that we want to see, rather than things we need to see. In terms of disaster notification this could become a serious issue in the future as people no longer watch television or listen to radio, through which disaster information can be broadcast in an emergency.

  I think the emergency information broadcasting over social media is a huge step in the right direction for disseminating information, but I don’t think it can be relied upon to the extent that we have relied on television and radio to spread the information in the past. I think if we are going to rely solely on the internet in the future to spread emergency information, we need a more forceful way of disseminating the information which people can not simply miss by not jumping on Facebook for a day. I think this could be possible, because although people don’t always spend time on social media everyday, it is getting to the point where we are almost always on the internet, and so if we could forcefully push alerts to devices connected to the internet, I believe we could provide a much more effective form of disaster communication.

It is interesting to see how quickly people come together on social media when there are tough times. Social media is an important tool to keep people informed of what is happening every step of the way, it is more powerful than television news reports as they are constantly updated once new information comes in.

In crisis times, such as the Black Saturday Bush fires, news was spread through multiple platforms, Television, Newspapers, Radio, Facebook and Twitter. Black Saturday bush fires and the Queensland floods have been disasters that social media made a positive impact on, sending out the most current and important information for all users to see. Bruns, Burgess, Crawford & Shaw (2012) talk about the impact twitter in particular had on the #qldfloods, and I agree that it is an important function in crisis communications.

It is quick information and your fingertips, and that is what is most important in these situations.

Crowdsourcing in times of crisis in recent years has become increasingly important with the first major case being Mission 4636. During the crisis in Haiti in 2010 people stayed connected and instead of sourcing information from authorities they relied on personal contacts to stay informed about the changing situations. Local radio was also an integral part of people’s survival. Radio stations invited people to call and relay information like fresh water supply centers, food distribution and missing persons.

  Mission 4636 was essentially a free phone number provided to the Haitian population as a way of giving aid organisations real time information along with local knowledge. People were able to text in information and within 5 minutes their messages were “translated, categorized, geo-located and streamed back to the responders” (Munro, 2010). Mission 4626, was established by aid workers both local and international, along with volunteers before transferring control to organisations within Haiti. This new way or acquiring and filtering information was crucial to the recovery efforts.

  Since Haiti in 2010 no crisis crowdsourcing has been as influential, yet that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been as important. Many people during crisis alerts rely on new media for updated reports because it can be instantaneous unlike other older avenues. The use of twitter and a common hashtag can provide people with on the scene information. Facebook can be another useful platform where authorities’ can upload information and provide feedback to questions. In Australia bushfire are prevalent and a lot of people source their information on evacuation and safe zones from Facebook and other social media sites.

  The understanding that crowdsourcing is an essential part of information collecting and distribution in times of crisis is not so much a breakthrough as it is obvious. Locals know their communities and regions better than any organisation, so the enlisting of their help in times of crisis, to me, seems like a no-brainer.

  Also my apologies on the lack of processed meat appreciation posts lately, but you will be happy to know that today while shopping with my housemate the lovely girl at our local Coles gave us free, yes I said FREE, twiggysticks. What a good egg she is! Definitely will be recommending her for some kind of employee award!

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When crisis situations like natural disasters or terrorist attacks occur there is a scramble for information and knowledge as the usual channels of communications get shut down. Knowledge is power in these circumstances and so everybody is looking for updated information that could tell them where to go for medical help, what areas have been affected and what to do. The instantaneous nature of social media platforms as opposed to tradition forms of media makes it the go-to when disaster strikes. Witness generated content actually has value as it enables information to be distributed globally and let the world know what is taking place.

But what about the people on the ground, where the crisis has occurred and where they need help? This is where crowd sourcing comes into play. By spreading awareness and information of the occurrence, it encourages people to help out. Turning towards non-traditional suppliers and online communities to attain services, ideas or content allows for the widest spread of help possible.

However we need to ask ourselves whether new technologies are being used to their full capacity to help. I was in London a few months after the bombings in 2005 and when I first arrived there had been a bomb scare that day. I remember the panic and mayhem as everyone was running around and trying to figure out if there was in fact a fifth bomb or what was happening. Communication at this point was critical to maintain control and not get everybody panicked for no reason. The whole day and even the next day there still wasn’t a definitive answer as to what police had found.

There are still some major modifications that need to be made to the way media platforms are used to get the best result possible in a crisis. Instead of centralised or decentralised networks, authorities need to focus on distributed networking to help communicate information in a time of need. This means there would not a break in communication between the authorities and civilians and witnesses which at moments of crisis could save someone’s life.

While crowd sourcing on social media during times of crisis can allow for immediate on the ground responses to issues and first hand information, it is also in early days of adaption and there are a lot of issues with verifying relevant data within a pool of thousands of reactory comments. Another factor to consider is every situation is different and social networking platforms have their own strengths and weaknesses, although societies on reliance on the internet as a communication tool today makes it a vital way of spreading information fast. Early adaptions of crisis models using crowd source data have seen lock-downs in the communication systems at the height of crisis’s due to their inability to cope with the overwhelming amount of data coming from the ground.

  I believe crowd sourced data has a large potential as it decentralizes the information during a crisis situation to allow the people to hear what is really going on, in real time rather than information only streaming from mainstream media that has been constructed to deliver messages in a certain way to the public. The real issue is sorting through the information submitted by the online community, while it gives people a real sense of community and support the information can stream in and be overwhelming, it can also be heightened by fear, worry and uncertainty of those delivering the news and therefore I think there is a need for verified comments to filter through the noise. In saying this there is a real need to conserve traditional formats of delivering information in crisis situations as not everyone interacts with social networks, especially in rural parts of Australia where many rely on radio and televised updates, especially amongst the aged community. While twitter may be a good source of information for families of those in danger as it is fast and direct, for some in danger zones of disaster who don’t have access to internet traditional forms of communication are integral to their survival.

  I think circulating crowd sourced data is a great way of gaining awareness of an issue in places where media is very controlled and hostile, often blocking information from becoming public knowledge. The development of the Ushahidi platform in 2007 used people sourced data in Kenya after a government ban on media was put in place, following protests from the election outcome. A blog developed by Ory Okolloh became one of the main sources of information, providing on the ground reporting of the protesting and developments both locally and internationally. She asked for the public's involvement, putting out a plea for locals to document what they saw, collating the information and asking for them to assist in gaining information from non government organizations and hospitals so that a generalized death toll could be developed. From the visibility and sociability of this blog which allowed for a congregated community and collated data, a simple mapping platform was developed where information sent primarily through SMS from the ground could be uploaded and mapped ultimately giving a voice to the violence the government was trying to hide. I think it worked so well as it integrated old and new technology allowing all of the public to participate, acknowledging that 50 percent of citizens had phones compared to the minority with access to internet. The development of the Ushahidi platform has evolved to integrate Facebook, Twitter and Internet updates so that it can be used across the globe to respond to different disasters.

My last few posts have looked at the negative sides of social media platforms. But it's not all bad - I swear! Social media has actually been very important in times of crisis.  In times of crisis, we look to something or someone for help or information. These days, that something is often social media. It's a great way for authority figures to update a lot of people very quickly.  For example, during bush fire season, the CFA can send out an update via Twitter or update their website to let people in a certain area know that a fire is coming and they need to act. It also allows for people who know of a fire before the CFA or other organisations to pass on this information very quickly. 

I live in an area which is prone to bush fires. The traditional methods such as fire sirens are not our first point of call anymore. In fact, when a fire went through the mountain in 2009, I do not recall hearing the siren at any point. The CFA website was our number one point of reference. Now in 2014, Twitter and Facebook are much quicker at updating information. Should a bush fire happen again, I would turn to social media to get information. It's important to remember that natural disasters can't be controlled but people can be. A short, simple tweet which gives people the right information can be the difference between life and death. 

Authorities have called upon the public before in times of crisis. This is known as crowdsourcing. After the Boston Bombings, police called upon the public to send in images and videos to help find those responsible. These types of images are called witness images and despite their lower quality, they are highly valued due to their authenticity and raw state.  Heather Ford (2012, p.33) reports that crowdsourcing "can change the velocity and nature of political events". However, as user-generated content is growing, authorities have difficulties highlighting what is important and what is authentic.  Ushahidi is not for profit online technology where users can report human rights issues. It began in 2007 as a way for Kenyan and international journalists to communicate during times of crisis. It has developed into the worlds biggest online crowdmapping tool (Ford 2012). 

There is no doubt that as a direct result of social media platforms such as twitter, facebook, tumblr, etc... we now have information right in front of us, through our phones and laptops. Our mobile devices which were once used to merely call a person, can now tell us if people have died across the world, far away from our home, its an interesting thought.

Everybody has seen it, from Kony 2012, to the Queensland floods and the Victorian bushfires... it helps us unite. Recently, a case arose of a family of kids that had lost both their parents (this isn't exactly an example of a crisis but an example of the power social media holds) and people had spread the word to donate to them, to supply them with the finances to manage their own life without their parents, the result was incredible and in the end, the total donations came to over 1 million. Kids became millionaires literally in a couple days. Word of mouth is great, but internet attention is even greater. 

When things go wrong, and people successfully prove that there is a crisis occurring, its amazing the power society can hold and the influence they can make. It's not a rare thing that when natural disasters occurs, immediately online fundraisers and donation sites are set up. We have to consider that it is more than simply spreading images of the disaster and persuading individuals to give money. It is also much more convenient and easier for people to transfer funds. Honestly, it is hard to admit the truth that, even when people are in need, we just don't have the time always to go out of our way to donate. We may do it sometimes and be very generous, but if you want a substantial more amount of money, you must make it convenient for people. So many people are based on the internet, for recreation, work, or other reasons... and if you make a fundraiser/donation website online, you'd be surprised how much it could potentially increase awareness as its right in front of people as part of their everyday routine.

To close it off, I feel this is very self-explanatory. However, it's a beautiful thing (social media) and its helped us achieve a lot and spread awareness about many things. I think of VICE and their documentaries exposing corrupt governments and worldwide issues that haven't been broadcasted, and despite not being a crisis, the REACH some people can get is amazing. Vice went from an online documentary series to a show on foxtel and they also have their on magazine.