Saving Lives with Social Media: The Power of the Crowd in Emergencies
DW Akademie
Social media is an increasingly vital tool for crisis response as non-profit organizations use it to save lives and help those in need. But its power to spread information means social media can escalate crises too.
Social media and the prevalence of smartphones is changing communication in times of disasters. Instead of consulting printed casualty lists, survivors now check social media to see whether their friends and loved ones are safe. Similarly, social media has given people and communities affected by disasters the means to communicate directly with disaster responders.