Social Media: The New Face of Disaster Response (Infographic)

If you would have questioned whether I were on Facebook or Twitter back in 2003, I’d probably think you were insulting me in some cool and clever way. Fast forward 10 years–and these social media platforms are changing the way we view and react (literally) to the world around us.

Perhaps the most unique of these developments would be the forging of the social media and emergency disaster worlds. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks have all facilitated the rescue and relief efforts of multiple disasters and have played an essential role in disaster response.

This infographic from USF’s online MPA focuses on three recent natural disasters–the Japan tsunami, Haiti earthquake and hurricane Sandy, to help illustrate the types of roles social media played in these unfortunate events.