During a recent high school fire, it was interesting to see how social media played a part where citizen journalists were posting information that was being picked up by mainstream media and agencies responsible.
Social media users were updated in real-time as students and bystanders gave live updates of the blaze as-it-happened, including photo and video footage.
First responders had been alerted, so posts on social media were further informing the emergency response for increased situational awareness. Posts were also providing updates to the public at the speed of the Internet, however, these important announcements could well have been spreading misinformation.
Photo and video footage is not only useful for pinpointing where the blaze started, but also as future reference.
Attempts at pinpointing the fire's location played out online – some accurate and some not:
There is a lot of information flowing online every time a disaster happens, and it is critical to make sure you are aware of what is happening. What is your team doing to follow it?
