This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • Home
  • News
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies
    • Security Blog
    • Newsletter
    • Web Exclusives
  • Columns
    • Career Intelligence
    • Security Talk
    • The Corner Office
    • Leadership & Management
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Overseas and Secure
    • The Risk Matrix
  • Management
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • More
  • Physical
    • Access Management
    • Video Surveillance
    • Identity Management
    • More
  • Cyber
  • Sectors
    • Education: University
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • More
  • Exclusives
    • Security 500 Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Annual Innovations, Technology, & Services Report
  • Events
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
    • Security 500 West
  • Resources
    • The Magazine
      • This Month's Issue
      • Digital Edition
      • Archives
      • Professional Security Canada
    • Videos
      • ISC West 2019
    • Photo Galleries
    • Polls
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • White Papers
    • Mobile App
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Continuing Education
  • InfoCenters
    • Building AppSec in Enterprises
  • Contact
    • Editorial Guidelines
  • Advertise
Home » How Social Media Can Increase Stress During a Mass Emergency

How Social Media Can Increase Stress During a Mass Emergency

Security newswire default
October 31, 2017
KEYWORDS active shooter / emergency communications / lockdown / social media
Reprints
No Comments

Exposure to high rates of conflicting information during an emergency is linked to increased levels of stress, says new research.

Southern California researchers, Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychology & social behavior and doctoral student Nickolas M. Jones, looked at the hours and days after a recent "active shooter event" on an unnamed college campus and measured social media communication and the stress levels of 4,000 students who dialed up Twitter during a two-hour lockdown at school. Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study found that during crisis events, people often seek out event-related information to stay informed of what is happening. However, when information from official channels is lacking or disseminated irregularly, people may be at risk for exposure to rumors that fill the information void.

In addition, they found that crisis events are often ambiguous in nature, and when uncertainty is high, appraisals of threat among individuals caught in their path can be heightened. This, in turn, may instigate information-seeking behavior as a way of reducing situational uncertainty and consequently the psychological distress such uncertainty engenders. In the past, this information seeking led people to their radios and televisions to acquire critical updates from official channels. However, when a crisis unfolds, people now increasingly acquire critical updates from social media (e.g., Twitter; refs. along with traditional media channels.
 
Moreover, the study found, when information from official channels is irregular or lacks new information, uncertainty and information-seeking behavior are likely sustained. As a result, people may also turn to unofficial channels, such as social media, to mitigate their discomfort. The challenge with social media as a resource for updates, however, is the lack of mechanisms for vetting the accuracy of the information being shared among users. This is particularly important because, as the rumor literature suggests, trust in an information source moderates whether rumors are believed and transmitted. In addition, once rumors begin to spread on social media, they are very difficult to undermine with updates or corrections.
 
The researchers offer several recommendations. First, emergency officials should disseminate frequent updates to the affected population, in real time. In the context of a school shooting, repeated alerts have been found to increase the perception of urgency among participants who received them, a factor necessary for eliciting swift and appropriate action. Regular communications from emergency management officials are essential for mitigating uncertainty and rumors after a crisis, they said.
 
Second, critical updates disseminated to the public should include new information, when possible. However, when new information is not available, updates should be tailored to reduce situational uncertainty, thereby mitigating distress and rumors. Additionally, emergency management officials should attempt to counter the impact of rumors that arise during crisis situations by monitoring social media channels and encouraging individuals to keep a healthy skepticism about information coming from unofficial channels.
 
Last, they said, "We believe the news media, which play a critical role in informing the public during crisis events, must share the responsibility for disseminating accurate information. The importance of this point is illustrated by the examples of conspiracy theories propagated on social media (and other channels) that resonate with individuals psychologically attuned to alternative narratives. Although seemingly benign, conspiracy theories can lead people to deny that acts of horror, like the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, occurred at all. Consequently, denial narratives born from inconsistencies in news reporting can directly and negatively impact the individuals in communities devastated by these events."


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-10-crisis-exposure-conflicting-stress-linked.html#jCp

When danger is imminent and official information is disseminated inconsistently, public anxiety is elevated. In the past, people relied on radio and television broadcasts to reduce uncertainty. Today social media channels are frequently the source of updates, and users are exposed to a greater number of conflicting speculations and unverified reports. Moreover, this exposure is associated with greater distress. Jones' analysis of Twitter data showed that rumor generation and retweets were greatest during a 90-minute gap in communications from campus officials and were linked to heightened community-level negative emotion.

"In any uncertain and dangerous situation, it's important for officials to send frequent updates in real time and, when possible, include new details," Jones said. "Emergency management and public safety officers should monitor social media channels to mitigate rumors as they arise. We believe that studying the data generated during these events can provide insight into understanding how communities attempt to deal with crises, which can be used to help better prepare for future events."



Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-10-crisis-exposure-conflicting-stress-linked.html#jCpTheir findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/10/18/1708518114.abstract

Subscribe to Security Magazine

Related Articles

Study Finds Social Media Can Help Alert Students During Campus Emergencies

Send the Right Message: How to Streamline Emergency Communications in the Social Media Era

Related Products

Optimizing Social Media from a B2B Perspective

School Security: How to Build and Strengthen a School Safety Program

Physical Security and Safety: A Field Guide for the Practitioner

Related Events

How You Can Turn Security Training and Awareness into Action

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

cybersecurity breach

The Top 12 Data Breaches of 2019

Mark Hargraves

Security Industry Mourns Passing of Mark Hargraves

ransomware-enews

British American Tobacco Suffers Data Breach and Ransomware Attack

Dispelling the Dangerous Myth of Data Breach Fatigue; cyber security news

Major Retailer Macy's Is Hacked

SEC1219-Cover-Feat-slide1_900px

Contracted vs. In-House Guarding: No Universal Right Answer

360x184customcontent_1.23Everbridge

Events

December 17, 2019

Conducting a Workplace Violence Threat Analysis and Developing a Response Plan

There are few situations a security professional will face that is more serious than a potential workplace violence threat. Every security professional knows and understands that all employers have a legal, ethical and moral duty to take reasonable steps to prevent and respond to threats of violence in their workplace.
January 23, 2020

The Value of a Unified Approach to Critical Event Management

From extreme weather to cyberattacks to workplace violence, every organization will experience at least one, if not multiple, critical events per year. And in today’s interconnected digital and physical world, the cascading safety, brand, and revenue impacts of critical events are more severe. Organizations need to be prepared through a unified and rapid response to these events.
View All Submit An Event

Poll

Emergency Communications

What does your enterprise use to communicate emergencies to company employees?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Effective Security Management, 6th Edition

Effective Security Management, 6th Edition

 Effective Security Management, 5e, teaches practicing security professionals how to build their careers by mastering the fundamentals of good management. Charles Sennewald brings a time-tested blend of common sense, wisdom, and humor to this bestselling introduction to workplace dynamics. 

See More Products
SEC500_250x180 clear

Security Magazine

SEC-December-2019-Cover_144px

2019 December

This month, Security magazine brings you the 2019 Guarding Report, featuring David Komendat, Boeing CSO, and many other public safety leaders to discuss threats and solutions for 2020 and security officer training. Also, we highlight Hector Rodriguez, Director of Public Safety and Security at Marymount California University, CCPA regulations, NIST standards, VMS and much more.

View More Create Account
  • More
    • Market Research
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • Security Group
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
    • Survey And Sample
  • Want More
    • Subscribe
    • Connect
    • Partners

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing