The role social media play in reporting crisis around the world is well documented. A recent survey done by the Red Cross Organization revealed that social media is becoming increasingly important when crisis hit home. The finding suggest that:

General Use of Social Media in the Community

• Nearly 3 in 4 participate in at least one online community
• 81% of respondents with children in household more likely to use social media
• 78% of college graduates are more likely to use social media
• 89% of respondents age 18-34 uses social network or online community compared to 65% age 35 and older
• 82% of the respondents participate in social media at least once a week with more than half of them participating almost every day or nearly every day

Potential Use of Social Media in Disaster

• 16% or one in 6 uses social media to get news of an emergency
• About half the respondents are willing to sign up for email, text alerts to receive news regarding emergency
• About half of the respondents would mention a particular emergency on their social media channel
• 75% choose Facebook as the most used platform for respondents to post eyewitness information during an emergency or newsworthy event. Blog comes in 22% while Twitter 21%
• Vast majority will choose Facebook as the platform of choice when it comes to posting about their safety
• Most than two third agree that response agencies should regularly monitor social media and response to posting on their website
• Younger users age 18 - 34 (33%) make use of social media to get use of an event or emergency compared to only 9% of those age 35 and older
• Younger folks are more likely to use social media or text messages to request for help
• Younger respondents expect a faster response from social media when they request for help.
• In the survey, 3 out of 4 respondents expect help to arrive within one hour

As I read through the survey results, I realize that there is a phenomenon developing, and that is the need for speed. People are no longer patient, especially in the online world and worse still, the social media. Therefore, Response Agencies must be able to react fast enough not just during a real life crisis, but also online inquiries.