http://mappingonlinepublics.net/http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

Twitter and Disasters

Assoc. Prof. Axel BrunsARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and InnovationQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbane, Australia

a.bruns@qut.edu.auhttp://mappingonlinepublics.net/ @snurb_dot_info

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

Social Media during Crises

o Various platforms:o Facebook, Twitter – updates and informationo YouTube, Flickr, Twitpic – first-hand video and photoso Google Maps, Ushahidi – map-based information mashups Different tools for different purposes

o Various levels of maturity:o Uses and use practices still developingo Different demographic reach

o Technological differences:o e.g. Facebook: built around personal networks; semi-private;

discussion threadso e.g. Twitter: open, flat network; public #hashtag conversations;

update stream

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

Why Twitter?

o Researching Twitter:o Significant world-wide social networko ~200 million users (but how many active?)

o ~2 million users in Australia

o Varied range of uses: from everyday communication to emergency coordination

o Flat and open network structure: non-reciprocal following, public profiles by default

o Hashtags as a flexible, ad hoc response mechanismo Good API for gathering data for research and operational use

How can Twitter be used for crisis information and community resilience?

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

#qldfloods Tweets

10 Jan 2011 11 Jan 2011 12 Jan 2011 13 Jan 2011 14 Jan 2011 15 Jan 2011

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

10 Jan 2011 11 Jan 2011 12 Jan 2011 13 Jan 2011 14 Jan 2011 15 Jan 2011

#qldfloods from Toowoomba to Brisbane

#qldfloods @mentions

mainstream media

authorities

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

Message Amplification on Twitter

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

Twitter and the 22 Feb. Christchurch Earthquake: #eqnz

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

#eqnz: @replies Received (Including Manual Retweets; 22 Feb.-7 Mar.)

mainstream news

authorities

utilities

#eqnz: Tweet Types over Time (22 Feb.-7 Mar.)

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

#eqnz: Manual Retweets and @replies (22 Feb.-7 Mar.)

o Changing @reply patterns with the move from rescue to recovery:

22-24 Feb 2011 25 Feb. - 3 Mar. 2011Retweets @replies Retweets @replies

nzherald 5748 713 CEQgovtnz 3349 121NZStuff 1736 312 nzherald 2227 447AnthonyBaxter 1590 62 ChristchurchCC 1830 272TVNZnews 1503 208 NZcivildefence 561 72georgedarroch 1399 55 NZStuff 532 173TelecomNZ 1289 592 NewstalkZB 431 43abcnews 1131 127 operationSAFE 399 547StephenFry 1094 44 nz_quake 350 22vodafonenz 1071 559 TelecomNZ 314 163CEQgovtnz 689 137 VMGiving 277 9rgoodchild 577 125 NZTopModelColin 271 128ChristchurchCC 573 211 georgedarroch 270 6NewstalkZB 554 44 NZRedCross 268 207SocialMedia_NZ 491 26 eqnz_live 240 29HuffingtonPost 478 25 3NewsNZ 200 28

Thematic Clusters

PerthMarketing / PR

DesignWeb

Creative

FarmingAgriculture

HardlineConservatives

ConservativesJournalists

ALPProgressives

Greens

News

OpinionNews

NGOsSocial Policy

ITTech

Social MediaTechPR

Advertising

Real EstateProperty

JobsHR

Business

BusinessProperty

Parenting

Mums CraftArts

FoodWine

Beer

Adelaide

SocialICTs

CreativeDesign

FashionBeauty

UtilitiesServices

Net Culture

BooksLiteraturePublishing

Film

TheatreArts

RadioTV Music

DanceHip Hop

Triple J

TalkbackBreakfast TVCelebritiesCycling

Union

NRL

Football

CricketAFL

SwimmingV8s

Evangelicals

Teachinge-Learning

Schools

ChristiansHillsong

Teens

Jonas Bros.Beliebers

Austra

lian

Bands

@KRuddMP

@JuliaGillard

#Hashtag Participation

Follower/followee network:~120,000 Australian Twitter users(of ~950,000 known accounts by early 2012) size = indegree

#ausvotes

Follower/followee network:~120,000 Australian Twitter users(of ~950,000 known accounts by early 2012) colour = #ausvotes tweets, size = indegree

#qldfloods

Follower/followee network:~120,000 Australian Twitter users(of ~950,000 known accounts by early 2012) colour = #qldfloods tweets, size = indegree

#eqnz

Follower/followee network:~120,000 Australian Twitter users(of ~950,000 known accounts by early 2012) colour = #eqnz tweets, size = indegree

#masterchef

Follower/followee network:~120,000 Australian Twitter users(of ~950,000 known accounts by early 2012) colour = #masterchef tweets, size = indeg.

#royalwedding

Follower/followee network:~120,000 Australian Twitter users(of ~950,000 known accounts by early 2012) colour = #royalwedding tweets, size = indeg.

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

Social Media and Crisis Communication

o Twitter research:o Develop better tools and metrics for evaluating social media

communicationo In-depth analysis of communication patterns reveals how social media

are usedo Real-time analytics: highlight key current issues, identify weak signals

of crisiso Monitor and improve effectiveness of social media communication

strategies by emergency services

o Social media uses:o Inform, share, amplify, support, reassure, organiseo Need to track and work with user community: follow their conventions

(e.g. #eqnz hashtag)o Two-way communication where feasible – more than broadcast

messageso Provide community with tools to self-organise for resilience

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

@snurb_dot_info@jeanburgess@_StephenH@DrTNitins@timhighfield@cdtavijit