Abstract:

Social media is the key communication platform where information can be spread quickly reaching unlimited number of users all at once. This feature is especially important during emergencies when access to information is vital and can save human lives and infrastructure. The aim of this article is to discuss the role of two social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, during the floods that swept through Poland in May 2019. Facebook and Twitter users’ involvement in online discussion in the crisis situation was analysed and the content of messages was examined. The study employed a retrospective examination of flood-related Facebook posts (N=10,755) and tweets (N=7,709) published between 1 March to 10 June 2019 that were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively, including the sentiment analysis. The study revealed that both Facebook and Twitter were used extensively in the flood-related online conversations by individual users, organization, emergency services, and authorities. Both emergency services and authorities used social media as a broadcast medium to distribute weather-related alerts and situational updates as well as to inform about successful rescue operations. Individual users and organizations, on the other hand, posted comments that most frequently documented the extent of the flood and damage in the flood zone. The study adds to the previous literature by investigating the role of social media in emergency management. It also sheds light on the nature of public communication that involves emergency services, authorities and individual users in social media.