Online information-sharing during crises
What do users’ SOS messages on social media reveal about their online behavior in an emergency situation?
Keywords:
Online Information-sharing, Online help-seeking, Covid-19, Social Media, Public Health Crisis, IndiaAbstract
Social media platforms have emerged as preferred channels to disseminate information and seek help during a public health crisis. Yet, an examination of users’ information-sharing behavior during a crisis remains an under-researched area. With the public health infrastructure in shambles, people in India posted messages on Twitter (currently known as X) to seek help during the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 crisis in April-May 2021. Using content coding and inductive qualitative thematic analysis, we examined users’ behavior online by analyzing tweets and retweets posted with the hashtag #COVIDSOSINDIA. We found that while tweeters used the platform both for information-sharing and for seeking help during the crisis, they, in a bid to get immediate help, prioritized sharing the completeness of personal information online. While tagging officials on help-seeking tweets was rampant, the SOS messages used very few emotional appeals. Implications of these findings are discussed.
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