Utilization of Social Media in the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and its Effectiveness

Abstract

During the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, newly popular social media such as Twitter and Facebook served as a lifeline for directly affected individuals, a means of information sharing, and a way for people inside and outside Japan to volunteer and to provide information-based support to affected individuals. Social media was used to perform vital relief functions such as safety identification, displaced-persons locating, damage information provision, support for disabled individuals, volunteer organization, fund-raising, and moral support systems. This study discusses the potential for public, civil society, and government organizations to utilize social media in disaster preparedness and response.