Study by Christopher Danforth, Peter Dodds and Andrew Reagan: For More Info, Go Here…
The study highlights two key findings: First, on average, Twitter users with small local networks (with 100-200 followers) increase their activity more than those with larger networks in these emergency situations. Second, each type of natural disaster studied possessed its very own unique pattern of social media use.
“We found ‘average Twitter users’ tweeted more frequently about disasters, and focused on communicating key information,” says study co-author Benjamin Emery, a Master’s student in UVM’s Complex Systems Center and Computational Story Lab.
“While these users have fewer followers than so-called influencers, their followers tend to have a higher proportion of friends and family, close networks that are more likely to seek and exchange useful information in emergency situations.”