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Web users rely more on social media to seek help

Red Cross report shows Americans have high expectations of first responders

Wireless News

WASHINGTON — The American Red Cross announced in its latest survey that many web users would turn to social media to seek help for themselves or others during emergencies, and they expect first responders to be listening.

According to a release, the online survey asked 1,058 adults about their use of social media sites in emergency situations. It found that if they needed help and couldn’t reach 9-1-1, one in five would try to contact responders through a digital means such as e-mail, websites or social media. If web users knew of someone else who needed help, 44 percent would ask other people in their social network to contact authorities, 35 percent would post a request for help directly on a response agency’s Facebook page and 28 percent would send a direct Twitter message to responders.

The American Red Cross further noted in its survey that Web users also have expectations about how first responders should be answering their requests. The survey showed that 69 percent said that emergency responders should be monitoring social media sites in order to quickly send help — and nearly half believe a response agency is probably already responding to any urgent request they might see.

And the survey respondents expected response to an online appeal for help. 74 percent expected help to come less than an hour after their tweet or Facebook post.

“The first and best choice for anyone in an emergency situation is to call 9-1-1,” said Gail McGovern, American Red Cross president and CEO. “But when phone lines are down or the 9-1-1 system is overwhelmed, we know that people will be persistent in their quest for help and use social media for that purpose.”

The Red Cross commissioned the survey in advance of an Emergency Social Data Summit set for Thursday, August 12, in Washington, D.C. The meeting, convened by the Red Cross, will bring together thought leaders and executives in the government, social media, emergency response and the non-profit sectors to discuss ways to handle information that flows through the web during disasters.

Information was gathered from an online Survey of 1,058 respondents representative of the U.S. population aged 18 and older. The survey was conducted on July 22-23, by Infogroup / ORC.

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