Having effective communication among organizations and with the public are essential aspects of emergency management. The emergence of social media provides more communication options, especially as social media is fast, direct, and interactive. As such, ISO 22329:2021—Security and Resilience – Emergency Management – Guidelines For The Use Of Social Media In Emergencies provides guidance on how social media can be integrated into communication in emergency management.
How Should Organizations Use Social Media in Emergency Situations?
ISO 22329:2021 specifies that it is important that organizations recognize both their potential benefits and threats inherent when using social media in their communication strategy, including crisis communication. Using social media in crisis communication can be a double-edged sword that must be handled with care:
- Social media can improve situational awareness and communication capability and help citizens support each other during an emergency or crisis.
- Social media can also, however, spread inaccurate information regarding an incident and the response to an incident.
Therefore, it is important to remember that negative news can travel faster on social media than in traditional media. By using the guidelines in ISO 22329:2021, organizations can take advantage of the potential benefits and be prepared to counteract the potentially negative consequences that can arise from social media.
What Is ISO 22329?
ISO 22329:2021 gives guidance on the use of social media in emergency management. The standard details how organizations and the public can use, and interact through, social media before, during, and after an incident as well as how social media can support the work of emergency services.
ISO 22329:2021 is applicable to governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in emergency management and crisis communication.
How Can Social Media Help in Emergency Situations?
When an emergency occurs, the effectiveness of a crisis response typically hinges on speed. By allowing for the instant dissemination of important information in real time, social media can be an effective and useful tool in emergency situations. It provides up-to-the-minute news information (e.g., road closure updates, shelter locations, evacuation routes, designated help areas, and more to the population.
Social media can connect people with the right groups during emergencies. For example, emergency services can quickly send out alerts, share updates, and safety tips on social platforms. Further, social media also provides rapid feedback from the witnesses of the events and quickly transmits requests for help.
How Does Social Media Assist with Crisis?
When it comes to crisis communications and crisis management, social media is a beneficial tool that makes it easy to reach stakeholders and share important messages instantaneously. A crisis management team can utilize social media to monitor online conversations and media coverage of the situation. Furthermore, social media tools enable organizations to keep track of online conversations, trends, and development, so organizations can monitor stakeholder concerns and respond accordingly with purpose.
ISO 22329:2021—Security and Resilience – Emergency Management – Guidelines For The Use Of Social Media In Emergencies is available on the ANSI Webstore.
