Muralidharan, S., Rasmussen, L., Patterson, D. & Shin, J. (2011). Hope for Haiti: An analysis of Facebook and Twitter usage during the earthquake relief efforts. Public Relations Review, 37, 175-177.
The 2010 Haitian earthquake devastated the small island of Hispaniola, leaving thousands dead and billions of dollars in property damage. The earthquake also ignited a firestorm of social media use by organizations. By applying framing theory to the analysis of Facebook posts and tweets sent by nonprofits and media organizations, this study discovered differences between nonprofits and media in terms of social media use, and how the messages motivated and mobilized people during the two weeks following the earthquake.
Method
A content analysis of 4,006 Facebook posts and 6,673 Twitter tweets of 41 nonprofit organizations and 8 major media organizations from Jan. 12 to Jan. 26, 2012
Key Findings
1) The ability for social media to facilitate two-way communication between organizations and publics has not been utilized to its full potential.
2) The nonprofits and media organizations in this study used information dissemination and disclosure effectively, but failed to capitalize on the innate two-way communication nature of social media.
3) The nonprofit organizations in this study appeared to encourage a steady stream of visitors as a means to engage with publics and increase donations, more so than media organizations.
4) News media coverage of the devastation, coupled with active nonprofit participation in social media had a positive effect on the fundraising efforts for Haiti.
Implications for Practice
The use of social media may be especially important for nonprofit organizations that operate under stringent financial conditions. Two-way communication should be considered to build relationships to avoid losing members or potential followers. Additionally, increasing two-way communication and building relationships may positively affect donations. Unlike nonprofit organizations, media outlets must strive to remain unbiased, which is likely the reason it cannot regularly engage with followers. Instead, media outlets can use social media to facilitate dialogue among their followers.
Article Location
The full article is available for purchase at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0363811111000294
