A tale of two earthquakes: Analyzing social media responses in natural disasters

Abstract

Social media can be of uttermost importance in providing relief to areas affected by natural disasters. Thanks to the wide availability of mobile devices and the resilience of communication networks, people more than ever use internet-based systems to reach out to people in distress, express sympathy and create ad-hoc emergency lines. In 2017, two major earthquakes affected Mexico in a span of a month: one happened in the southern region of the country, and the second one in the central highlands. Although the response was massive, their economic and social differences were also reflected on social media. This empirical study compares the social media response to these events.