Sorry for cross-posting...

While the main source of information was still the TV news these last few weeks, increasingly social media is shaping our understanding of and the action we take in disasters such as the Tohoku earthquake.

>From first notification to victim identification through the current relief effort, big names and formats (Facebook, Google, Twitter), thematic lists (like this one), as well as more independent bloggers and information websites have been quite important. And now, as more volunteers and supplies make it up north, the social media contribution in organization and coordination could be even be more important.

Some of my graduate students, representatives from relief organization and technology types are getting together in Tokyo in the next few weeks (face-to-face of all formats) in a closed group to work out a rough sketch of how things have gone so far, to sort out what we know and what else we need to know.

We will start by addressing three issues:

1. What was the contribution of social media?
2. Where could social media have done more?
3. How can social media aid us immediately in this next phase of relief and recovery?

If you are or your research is directly involved in these topics and would like to participate, please contact me off-line (self-intro and your research background, interests or project; all relevant disciplines are welcome).

David Slater (d-slater@sophia.ac.jp)
Sophia U.

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David H. Slater, Ph.D.
Faculty of Liberal Arts
Sophia University, Tokyo