Crisis Communication on Twitter: Lessons from the South East Queensland Floods

Crisis Communication on Twitter

Enterprise Risk Management for Government 2012

Jean Burgess & Axel Bruns

ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries & InnovationQueensland University of Technology

http://mappingonlinepublics.net

Crisis Communication Research at QUT

o ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries & Innovation (national, based at QUT)

o Project: Media Ecologies & Methodological Innovation

o New methods to understand the changing media environment;

o Role of social media, especially Twitter

o Focus on Crisis Communication eg #qldfloods

o Partnerships with government, media orgs (eg ARC Linkage with DCS, Eidos)

http://cci.edu.au/floodsreport.pdf

#qldfloods study

Flickr: Jono Haysom

• Volume of tweets over time

• @replies and retweets: key actors and their networks

• URLs: key media resources, user-uploaded images and videos

• Content analysis: themes and purposes over time

Social Media during Crises

• Various platforms:– Facebook, Twitter – updates and information– YouTube, Flickr, Twitpic – first-hand video and photos– Google Maps, Ushahidi – map-based information mashups Different tools for different purposes

• Various levels of maturity:– Uses and use practices still developing– Different demographic reach

• Technological differences:– e.g. Facebook: built around personal networks; semi-private; discussion

threads– e.g. Twitter: open, flat network; public #hashtag conversations; update

stream

Why Twitter?

• Significant world-wide social network• ~200 million users (but how many active?)

– ~2 million users in Australia• Varied range of uses: building out from intimate, everyday

communication to public emergency coordination• Flat and open network structure:

non-reciprocal following, public profiles by default• Hashtags as a flexible, ad hoc response mechanism• Good API for gathering data for research and operational use

How can Twitter be used for crisis information and community resilience?

The Australian Twittersphere?

Follower/followee network:~120,000 Australian Twitter users(of ~950,000 known accounts by early 2012) colour = outdegree, size = indegree

Thematic Clusters

PerthMarketing / PR

DesignWeb

Creative

FarmingAgriculture

HardlineConservatives

ConservativesJournalists

ALPProgressives

Greens

News

OpinionNews

NGOsSocial Policy

ITTech

Social MediaTechPR

Advertising

Real EstateProperty

JobsHR

Business

BusinessProperty

Parenting

Mums CraftArts

FoodWine

Beer

Adelaide

SocialICTs

CreativeDesign

FashionBeauty

UtilitiesServices

Net Culture

BooksLiteraturePublishing

Film

TheatreArts

RadioTV Music

DanceHip Hop

Triple J

TalkbackBreakfast TVCelebritiesCycling

Union

NRL

Football

CricketAFL

SwimmingV8s

Evangelicals

Teachinge-Learning

Schools

ChristiansHillsong

Teens

Jonas Bros.Beliebers

Australian Bands

@KRuddMP

@JuliaGillard

#qldfloods

Follower/followee network:~120,000 Australian Twitter users(of ~950,000 known accounts by early 2012) colour = #qldfloods tweets, size = indegree

#qldfloods Tweets

10 Jan 2011 11 Jan 2011 12 Jan 2011 13 Jan 2011 14 Jan 2011 15 Jan 2011

10 Jan 2011 11 Jan 2011 12 Jan 2011 13 Jan 2011 14 Jan 2011 15 Jan 2011

#qldfloods from Toowoomba to Brisbane

#qldfloods @mentions

mainstream media

authorities

Major Information Sources Remain Important

@abcnews

@612brisbane

@couriermail

@sunriseon7

@QPSMedia

Crises on Twitter: Find, Share, Retweet

Most-shared URLs by category

QPS Media Case Study

• With Kate Crawford, Frances Shaw (UNSW) – see full report at http://cci.edu.au/floodsreport.pdf

• Manual thematic content analysis• Drawing on existing crisis communications

literature• All #qldfloods tweets containing “@qpsmedia”• Baseline comparison: 5% of all #qldfloods tweets

Content Patterns: #qldfloods vs. @QPSMedia

@QPSmedia as Information Source

RT @QPSmedia: Anyone living near Lockyer creek should IMMEDIATELY evacuate to higher ground #thebigwet #qldfloods

RT @QPSmedia: Please remember your elderly and infirm neighbours as this flooding crisis continues #thebigwet

#qldfloods

RT @QPSmedia please stop sightseeing along Kingsford Smith Drive. Water rising quickly you'll be stranded

RT @QPSmedia: Do NOT spread rumours. The 2-hourly media conferences have correct info. Wivenhoe dam is ABSOLUTELY

safe #QldFloods #TheBigWet

RT @couriermail: Unconfirmed reports Central Station in Brisbane closing at 2pm today. Advise to leave CBD. #qldfloods

RT @ibeau: All public transport in the CBD has been stopped #qldfloods #thebigwet

RT @QPSmedia: Flood myth buster #6: Brisbane CBD is NOT being evacuated

RT @QPSmedia: Flood myth buster #7: public transport is not closing down at 2pm in the Brisbane CBD

a gentle reminder that there are lots of speculation getting around twitter re #qldfloods @QPSmedia is def worth checking

for accuracy

In order to prevent mistruths and speculation follow @qpsmedia and @612brisbane #qldfloods

@QPSmedia Thank you for using twitter to keep everyone up to date. And for clearing up all the misinformation so quickly

#qldfloods

Follow @QPSmedia for correct and constant information. Especially for those directly affected. Doing a great job.

#qldfloods

• QPSMedia embracing social media in a more sophisticated way (Twitter’s specific culture and norms, mythbusting tweets, playfulness, personalisation)

• Legitimation of social media via ‘official’ uptake

• Further institutional change (tied to broader ‘Gov 2.0’) initiatives etc

• Push for better ‘trust’ and ‘location-aware’ systems...