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Closing the Citizen-Government Communication Gap: Content, Audience, and Network Analysis of Government Tweets

  • Clayton Wukich EMAIL logo and Ines Mergel

Abstract

A key task in emergency management is the timely dissemination of information to decision makers across different scales of operations, particularly to individual citizens. Incidents over the past decade highlight communication gaps between government and constituents that have led to suboptimal outcomes. Social media can provide valuable tools to reduce those gaps. This article contributes to the existing literature on social media use by empirically demonstrating how and to what extent state-level emergency management agencies employ social media to increase public participation and promote behavioral changes intended to reduce household and community risk. Research to this point has empirically examined only response and recovery phases related to this process. This article addresses each phase of emergency management through the analysis of Twitter messages posted over a 3-month period. Our research demonstrates that while most messages conformed to traditional one-to-many government communication tactics, a number of agencies employed interactive approaches including one-to-one and many-to-many strategies.


Corresponding author: Clayton Wukich, Department of Political Science, Sam Houston State University, 1901 Avenue I, Rm 496D, Huntsville, TX 77341, USA, e-mail:

Appendix I

Coding Categories

Advice and Guidance: “Suggestions to the public on how to respond, what actions to take, and what to refrain from doing during the disaster” (see Sutton et al. 2014, p. 775).

  • Rain falling across #MO means you could be affected by flooding. Remember do NOT walk or drive thru standing water. http://t.co/Anxg0HjpYD.

Drill-related: Promotion/coordination of citizen-focused exercise intended to increase preparedness.

  • Will You Drop, Cover, Hold On? Video spreads the word about #MO’s ShakeOut earthquake drill on Oct. 17 at 10:17 AM: http://t.co/ODmCkeJcJ.

Education-related: Instructions on how to improve preparedness levels or implement prevention/mitigation measures prior to an extreme event.

  • Create a family emergency plan so that you know what to do, where to go & how to communicate with your family during a disaster. #NATLPREP.

Gamification: Promotion of community and household preparedness through games and contests.

  • Calling all chefs! Do you have what it takes to submit this year’s winning #KitCookOff #recipe? Learn more: http://t.co/PRyfXrw5ch.

Information Gathering: Requests for information/dialogue with constituents not during response or recovery operations.

  • How prepared are you for the next disaster? Tell us all about it by sharing your story at . #MDPrepares.

Intelligence Gathering: Requests for information by agency to increase situational awareness during response or recovery operations.

  • Did any of you feel the 4.9 earthquake 12 miles west of Fort Washakie? It happened just a little after 7 a.m.... http://t.co/AnELc0BmsT.

Resource Seeking: Requests for volunteers, fundraising, or other donations from agencies to citizens.

  • Looking to volunteer or to donate items to help #COflood survivors? http://t.co/hr2XMJCIIj has the best info to share. #COFlood #COPrepare.

Rumor Management: Clarification and corrections regarding misinformation and rumors.

  • Rumor Control: Despite media reports, NO tornado touchdown in Butler, Morris Co. last night. Info confirmed by NWS. Possible microburst.

Appendix II

Agency*Twitter Handle
Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency ManagementAlaskaDHSEM
Alabama Emergency Management AgencyAlabamaEMA
Arkansas Department of Emergency ManagementAR_Emergencies
Arizona Division of Emergency ManagementAzEIN
California Governor’s Office of Emergency ServicesCal_OES
Colorado Division Homeland Security and Emergency ManagementCOEmergency
READYColorado
Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland SecurityCTDEMHS
District of Columbia Emergency Management AgencyDC_HSEMA
Delaware Emergency Management AgencyDelawareEMA
PrepareDE
Florida Division of Emergency ManagementFLSERT
Georgia Emergency Management AgencyGeorgiaEMA
Hawaii State Civil DefenseHI_CivilDefense
Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management DivisionIowaHSEMD
Idaho Bureau of Homeland SecurityNo Twitter Account
Illinois Emergency Management AgencyReadyIllinois
Indiana Department of Homeland SecurityIDHS
Kansas Division of Emergency ManagementKansasEmergency
Kentucky Emergency ManagementKYEMPIO
Louisiana Office of Homeland Security & Emergency PreparednessGOHSEP
Massachusetts Emergency Management AgencyMassEMA
Maryland Emergency Management AgencyMDMEMA
Maine Emergency Management AgencyMaineEMA
Michigan State Police, Emergency Management & Homeland Security DivisionMichEMHS
Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management DivisionMnDPS_HSEM
Missouri Emergency Management AgencyMOShakeOut
MoStormAware
Mississippi Emergency Management AgencyMSEMA
Montana Division of Disaster & Emergency ServicesMontanaDES
North Carolina Division of Emergency ManagementNCPublicSafety
North Dakota Department of Emergency ServicesNDDES
Nebraska Emergency Management AgencyNEMAtweets
New Hampshire Governor’s Office of Emergency ManagementNH_HSEM
New Jersey Office of Emergency ManagementReadyNJ
New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency ManagementNMDHSEM
Nevada Division of Emergency ManagementNVEmergencyMgmt
New York State Emergency Management OfficeNYSDHSES
Ohio Emergency Management AgencyOhio_EMA
Oklahoma Department of Emergency Managementokem
Oregon Emergency ManagementOregonOEM
Pennsylvania Emergency Management AgencyNo Twitter Account
Rhode Island Emergency Management AgencyRhodeIslandEMA
South Carolina Emergency Management DivisionSCEMD
South Dakota Division of Emergency ManagementSDemergencyMgmt
Tennessee Emergency Management AgencyT_E_M_A
Texas Division of Emergency ManagementTDEM
Utah Division of Emergency Services and Homeland SecurityUtahEmergency
Virginia Department of Emergency ManagementVDEM
Vermont Emergency Management Agencyvemvt
Washington Emergency Management DivisionwaEMD
Wisconsin Emergency ManagementReadyWisconsin
West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency ServicesWVDHSEM
Wyoming Office of Homeland Security WyOHS

*Accounts were identified in October 2013.

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Published Online: 2015-7-15
Published in Print: 2015-9-1

©2015 by De Gruyter

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