SGER: Public Information and Peer-to-Peer Communication as Complementary Processes?: Understanding How Public Information Officers Use Social Media During the Democratic National

这一探索性研究小额赠款项目调查了新闻官员利用新的社交媒体提供的与灾害有关的信息时正在制定的应急程序。通过移动和在线技术以及公民记者和其他联网公众的活动进行的点对点通信，使政府官员能够近乎实时地利用公共通信。随着决策者和公务员认识到新的社交媒体在应对灾害中的潜在价值，正在定义促进信息获取、检索、解释、核实和验证的程序。为了研究这些紧急过程，我们将在民主党全国代表大会期间在联合信息中心内进行实地观察，收集媒体监测和分析报告等相关文件，并面对面采访支持民主党全国委员会媒体监测活动或在民主党全国委员会回应期间积极参与新社交媒体政策和议程制定的关键线人。根据观察、访谈和二次文件分析进行的分析将提供公共政策、信息和通信技术支持的极端事件预警和风险沟通领域的理论发展，并有助于了解围绕使用新社交媒体应对危机和灾难的紧急做法的性质。由于技术发展的浪潮，新社交媒体的公众参与度增加，以及由此产生的关于在灾难中有效和适当地获取和利用点对点信息流的方式的问题，这项研究将对负责确保处于风险中的公众的安全和保障的应急管理人员和公共官员产生直接好处。对这些突发事件的调查将直接影响各级政府对未来灾难事件的计划和政策的制定。

This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) project investigates the emergent processes being developed by public information officers as they make use of disaster-relevant information available through new social media. Peer-to-peer communication, through mobile and online technologies and the activities of citizen journalists and other networked members of the public, have made possible the ability of government officials to tap into public communications in near-real time. Processes to facilitate information access, retrieval, interpretation, verification, and validation are being defined as decision makers and public servants recognize the potential value of new social media in disaster response. To study these emergent processes, we will conduct field observations within a Joint Information Center during the Democratic National Convention, collect relevant documents such as Media Monitoring and Analysis reports, and conduct face to face interviews with key informants who supported DNC media monitoring activities or were actively engaged in policy and agenda setting for new social media during the DNC response. Analysis following from observations, interviews, and secondary document analysis will provide theoretical developments in the areas of public policy, information and communication technology-enabled warnings and risk communication for extreme events, and contribute to knowledge on the nature of emergent practices around the uses of new social media for crises and disaster.Due to the groundswell of technology development, the increase in public participation in new social media, and the resulting questions about effective, and appropriate, ways to access and utilize information flowing peer-to-peer in disaster, this research will have direct benefits to emergency managers and public officials tasked with ensuring safety and security to the public at risk. Investigation into these emergent processes will have direct effects on the development of plans and policy for future disaster events among all levels of government.