ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the state of what is known about Twitter use and effects during crises and emergencies. It explores the possibility that the medium may be largely underutilized by first responders and provides recommendations for using medium to mitigate crisis and disasters. Numerous studies have suggested that social media may be especially useful for the purpose of connecting with others. Twitter users were more likely to use the medium as a means of inducing emotional bonding and solidarity than they were to obtain actionable information. Access to Internet-based technology has seen a consistent increase to a level where a majority of American adults are Internet users, causing some to examine issues of motivation, norms of use, or personal characteristics rather than access to technology. Numerous crisis communication scholars have posited those partnerships with public and the sense of a dialogic exchange between community and agency is ideal for fostering trust and inducing prosocial behaviors during times of great duress.
