Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

 

  What is crowdsourcing

https://images.app.goo.gl/dVivS7jn2AMbsk2V6

The concept of "crowdsourcing" arose from corporate interests and software development, but its meaning and context have since expanded. According to Merriam-Webster (2014), crowdsourcing is "the technique of getting needed services, ideas, or content by asking for contributions from a large group of individuals, typically an online community, rather than through traditional employees or suppliers."

Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

Natural catastrophes are frequently unforeseen and can result in significant losses of life and property. Social and technological advancements have contributed to more effective responses to disasters (Tavra et al., 2021), as contemporary, sturdy, and intelligent decision-making mechanisms permit more precise answers and quicker action.

For example, during the 2011 Queensland floods and the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, emergency services in Australia used social media tools to distribute and collect information.

All Hazards: Digital Technology & Services for Disaster Management

Natural disasters are natural events that occur due to changes in the Earth's atmosphere and geography. Social media sites enable users to communicate and share information via social networks. Throughout the world, social media is reaching out to people and educating them about overcoming natural disasters (ulvi et al., 2019).

During natural disasters, social media is an essential tool. As an example, Twitter has millions of users who interact each day, and the number of interactions and Twitter regarding disasters rises dramatically during times of disaster (Sutton, 2015). Thus, tweets with a compelling message, emotional appeal, and encouragement of safety and participation in aid are most shared and retweeted. Twitter can inform the public about natural disasters by communicating risk factors, locations to stay away from, sites to help, areas of high exposure, and people in need.

Monitoring social media activity can also serve as a means of preventing hazards. For instance, through social media, people who live in the vicinity of an exposure location can prepare in advance for protection or evacuation (Woods, 2014).

During a crisis or disaster, social media has been identified as the fourth most popular source of emergency information (Ulvi et al., 2019). Studies have shown that social media use increases during disasters as people search for immediate and detailed data (Sweetser & Metzgar, 2007). Meanwhile, social media platforms provide information on recovery, safety, and assistance during a disaster (Finch et al., 2016). Therefore, crowdsourcing social media sites benefit emergency responders and improve public health monitoring.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,

The pandemic's rapid spread necessitated implementing several, sometimes extraordinary, measures to prevent the collapse of global health systems and national economies. Crowdsourcing played a role in this specific circumstance.

In 2020, for instance, the Australian government's COVID Safe app will be available.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has praised the COVID Safe contact tracking app, which has been downloaded by over 4 million individuals, as a crucial tool for protecting Australians from coronavirus illness (Borys, 2020).

Coronavirus app tracing capability not yet operational, despite 4 million downloads

https://images.app.goo.gl/YzWH4xqXwo6FrKTC6

China's health code procedures.

https://images.app.goo.gl/dG5b3zYUWcPAd9pu5

Following the emergence of the New Crown epidemic, China is one of the last places to adhere to a zero-tolerance policy. The slightest signs of an outbreak are responded to through mass testing and strict quarantine.

Health codes, with their colour-coded system of red, yellow, and green to indicate different levels of COVID risk, have been a critical pillar of the plan (Huang, 2020). Health tracking applications are now needed in all parts of China, including offices, transport stations, shops, shopping malls, and taxis.

Not easy being green: China's 'health codes' define Covid-era life

END

reference list

Borys, S., 2020. Coronavirus app tracing capability not yet operational, despite 4m downloads. Abc.net.au. Viewed on 14 May 2022 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-02/coronavirus-app-currently-not-fully-operational/12208924

 

 

Finch, KC, Snook, KR, Duke, CH, Fu, K-W, Tse, ZTH, Adhikari, A & Fung, IC-H 2016, ‘Public health implications of social media use during natural disasters, environmental disasters, and other environmental concerns’, Natural hazards (Dordrecht), vol. 83, no. 1, Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp. 729–760.

 

France 24. 2022. Not easy being green: China's 'health codes' define Covid-era life. Viewed on 14 May 2022 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220128-not-easy-being-green-china-s-health-codes-define-covid-era-life

 

 

Sutton, J, Ben Gibson, C, Phillips, NE, Spiro, ES, League, C, Johnson, B, Fitzhugh, SM & Butts, CT 2015, ‘A cross-hazard analysis of terse message retransmission on Twitter’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, vol. 112, no. 48, National Academy of Sciences, United States, pp. 14793–14798.

 

Sweetser, KD & Metzgar, E 2007, ‘Communicating during crisis: Use of blogs as a relationship management tool’, Public relations review, vol. 33, no. 3, Elsevier Inc, NEW YORK, pp. 340–342.

 

Tavra, M, Racetin, I & Peroš, J 2021, ‘The role of crowdsourcing and social media in crisis mapping: a case study of a wildfire reaching Croatian City of Split’, Geoenvironmental disasters, vol. 8, no. 1, Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 1–16.

 

Ulvi, O., Lippincott, N., Khan, M., Mehal, P., Bass, M., Lambert, K., Lentz, E., & Haque, U. (2019). The role of social and mainstream media during storms. Journal Of Public Health And Emergency, 3. Retrieved from https://jphe.amegroups.com/article/view/5543

 

Woods, C, West, C, Buettner, P & Usher, K 2014, ‘“Out of our control”: Living through Cyclone Yasi’, International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, vol. 9, no. 1, Taylor & Francis, ABINGDON, pp. 19821–19821.