Social media can ‘buoy’ disaster preparedness and response

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to improve the public health system’s response to disasters, according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. The authors suggest that using crowd-sourcing technologies and electronic communication tools can help officials push information to the public and pull data from individuals. They provide examples of social media being used successfully during events such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The article also suggests future social media tactics to improve disaster preparedness and response.