Keim Mark E, Noji Eric
National Center for Environmental Health Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Am J Disaster Med. 2011 Jan-Feb;6(1):47-54.
Social media are forms of information and communication technology disseminated through social interaction. Social media rely on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks that are collaborative, decentralized, and community driven. They transform people from content consumers into content producers. Popular networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Google are versions of social media that are most commonly used for connecting with friends, relatives, and employees. The role of social media in disaster management became galvanized during the world response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. During the immediate aftermath, much of what people around the world were learning about the earthquake originated from social media sources. Social media became the new forum for collective intelligence, social convergence, and community activism. During the first 2 days following the earthquake, "texting" mobile phone users donated more than $5 million to the American Red Cross. Both public and private response agencies used Google Maps. Millions joined MySpace and Facebook discussion groups to share information, donate money, and offer comfort and support. Social media has also been described as "remarkably well organized, self correcting, accurate, and concentrated," calling into question the ingrained view of unidirectional, official-to-public information broadcasts. Social media may also offer potential psychological benefit for vulnerable populations gained through participation as stakeholders in the response. Disaster victims report a psychological need to contribute, and by doing so, they are better able to cope with their situation. Affected populations may gain resilience by replacing their helplessness with dignity, control, as well as personal and collective responsibility. However, widespread use of social media also involves several important challenges for disaster management. Although social media is growing rapidly, it remains less widespread and accessible than traditional media. Also, public officials often view P2P communications as "backchannels" with potential to spread misinformation and rumor. In addition, in absence of the normal checks and balances that regulate traditional media, privacy rights violations can occur as people use social media to describe personal events and circumstances.
社交媒体是通过社交互动传播的信息和通信技术形式。社交媒体依赖于对等（P2P）网络，这些网络具有协作性、去中心化且由社区驱动。它们将人们从内容消费者转变为内容生产者。诸如聚友网、脸书、推特和谷歌等热门社交网站是社交媒体的版本，最常用于与朋友、亲戚和员工建立联系。社交媒体在灾害管理中的作用在全球对2010年海地地震的响应中得到了凸显。在地震刚发生后的那段时间里，世界各地的人们了解到的有关地震的很多信息都源自社交媒体。社交媒体成为了集体智慧、社会融合和社区行动主义的新平台。地震后的头两天，使用手机“发短信”的用户向美国红十字会捐款超过500万美元。公共和私人救援机构都使用了谷歌地图。数百万人加入聚友网和脸书的讨论组来分享信息、捐款，并提供安慰和支持。社交媒体也被描述为“组织极其良好、自我纠错、准确且集中”，这对单向的官方对公众信息传播这种根深蒂固的观点提出了质疑。社交媒体还可能为弱势群体带来潜在的心理益处，这种益处源自他们作为灾害应对的利益相关者的参与。受灾民众表示有心理上想要做出贡献的需求，通过这样做，他们能更好地应对自身处境。受灾人群可能通过以尊严、掌控以及个人和集体责任取代无助感来获得恢复力。然而，社交媒体的广泛使用也给灾害管理带来了一些重要挑战。尽管社交媒体发展迅速，但与传统媒体相比，其普及程度和可及性仍然较低。此外，政府官员常常将对等通信视为可能传播错误信息和谣言的“非正规渠道”。此外，由于缺乏规范传统媒体的正常制衡机制，当人们使用社交媒体描述个人事件和情况时，可能会发生侵犯隐私权的行为。
