Social Networking, Social Media and Complex Emergencies: an ...

ut is not readily available and is subject to
censorship. Where Internet is readily available,
Skype has the potential to facilitate a secure line of
communication.
Finally, satellite technologies enable agencies and
rescue workers to set up communications in minutes.
For the ‘small world’, innovative technologies can
provide the greatest potential. In many communities
with limited access to electricity, portable solar
and wind-up chargers can be used to facilitate
mobile phone and radio use. The Internet and blogs
can facilitate the distribution of large volumes of
timely information. Radios are capable of operating
on multiple frequencies, although independent
radio stations are often limited. SMS can be used,
in conjunction with high rates of mobile phone
ownership, to facilitate mass communication. Often,
it can be difficult to communicate politically sensitive
information due to government surveillance. Flash
drives with innovative features can enable data
exchange directly without the need for a computer.
The term ‘sneakernet’ is used to describe the
transfer of electronic information by carrying
removable media from one machine to another.
Field and data insecurity such as the tracing of
mobile phones can make communication difficult.
As a result, the authors recommend techniques
such as removing the battery from mobile phones
when they are not in use and using multiple SIM
cards. There are also tools such as ‘cryptoSMS’ to
facilitate free and open source tools to encrypt text
messages and facilitate secure SMS communication.
The authors conclude that ‘big world’ agencies
are currently reliant on expensive new technology
that is easily confiscated by customs officials in the
field. The ‘small world’ can benefit from the use of
‘technologies of liberation’ developed by activists,
but these peer-to-peer communication tactics don’t
always facilitate easy communication back to ‘big
world’ partners. As a result, it is necessary to focus
on technological design to allow societies to bridge
the gap between ‘big world’ and ‘small world’.
Mersham, G. (2010) ‘Social media and
public information management: the
September 2009 tsunami threat to New
Zealand’, Media International Australia
Incorporating Culture and Policy,
no. 137, pp. 130-143.
Keywords: New Zealand, emergency,
communication back channels, Facebook.
This article explores how social media act as informal
‘back channels’ of communication by analysing and
commenting on official emergency management
messages as they are disseminated. This is explored
through the case of the New Zealand Tsunami
warning in 2009. Traditionally, the communication
of emergency warnings had been based on
unidirectional information dissemination from
officials to the public via broadcast media. However,
technological and social developments have meant
that the public no longer relies on a single source
of official information and as such, members of the
public leverage their own social networks to find
information outside this official response to make
critical decisions about emergency situations.
The article demonstrates that official messages
in the early stages of a national warning are
characterised by an ‘information and guidance
lag’ period (in comparison to what is being
confirmed across social media sites) created by
the institutionalised requirements of scientific
assessment and validation in accordance with
organisational protocols. It is suggested that, despite
concerns by officials regarding the legitimacy of
information shared through social media, such
technologies are gaining prominence across disaster
areas. Despite this acknowledgment, during local
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an Annotated Bibliography
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