A study on the use of social media during the chennai floods of 2015

Abstract

The evolution of communication technologies has an important role in this information era creating a great impact in our life. With the advent of the internet becoming an important source of information and communication at each phase, their services have only multiplied enormously making the world small. One such contribution is the rise of social media which has also led to mobile penetration and engagement much convenient and costeffective. During natural disasters, there requires effective communication that is swift in order to survive. This is when information communication technology becomes integral to four significant phases of disaster management mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. With on and off internet connection during a disaster, social media helps to stay connected with near and dear ones, seek and offer relief efforts and also determine the effect of disasters. Social networking sites and mobile messaging apps allow community development practitioners and community to accelerate the rate at which the information gets disseminated irrespective of the distance and minimize the loss due to disaster. This facility also surpasses the disasterrelated information by the stakeholders like the Government and mass media and has proven to be a beneficial avenue for communicating needs. With social media ruling the digital transformation, it is required to study how community development practitioners and communities use social media platforms during real-time like a disaster. This study examines the use of Facebook and WhatsApp by community development practitioners and communities during a black swan event the Chennai floods of 2015. newline