Social networks play an unprecedented "disaster relief"

Absrtact: April 20 8:02, Sichuan Yaan Lushan County has a 7 magnitude earthquake. Within seconds, an agency named Chengdu Institute of High-tech disaster mitigation sent the first quake-related information to its Sina-certified microblog. Yaan felt strongly. 8:04, the first one comes from ya

April 20 8:02, Sichuan Yaan Lushan County occurred in a 7-magnitude earthquake. In a matter of seconds, a "Chengdu Institute of High-tech Disaster Mitigation" in its SINA certified Micro-blog issued the first earthquake-related information. Yaan felt strongly. "8:04, the first from Yaan local netizens on the earthquake of micro-blog by" Shaking Chrysanthemum "issued.

Within the next dozens of hours, a huge stream of information, consisting of government agencies, businesses, media, Big V and netizens, converged on social networks. April 23, Sina related official told reporters that as of the day of the earthquake 18 o'clock in the afternoon, Sina Weibo and the "Yaan earthquake" related to the micro-Bo reached 64.55 million.

The situation of micro-trust and Renren is similar. Micro-letter platform on April 20 14:30 on the line of the "Lushan Earthquake Relief" public account, within 24 hours of receiving information 77,000, users exceed 40,000. 48 hours and 72 hours after the quake, the information received by the micro-credit account reached 430,000 and 540,000 respectively. The first earthquake information on the Internet was issued on April 20 8:03, and the following day 12 o'clock, more than 1 million users of Renren participated in disaster relief information transmission and network tracing.

As with rescue teams, roads, tents, water, medicine, timely and transparent information is also an indispensable factor in the process of earthquake relief. and micro-blogging, micro-credit and other social networks for the first time in China's disaster relief, the key channel of information aggregation.

Moreover, the social network, based on the functions of information release, disaster relief and so on, has formed the error-correcting mechanism for false information. "This time, the false information was significantly reduced and clarified quickly, compared to the fact that the Japanese earthquake and the Wenchuan earthquake were flying under the line." Said Sina.

Of course, "Everyone is media" social network, there are some can not ignore the magnified "noise."

To play an unprecedented "relief effectiveness"

Tencent said that its microblogging platform on April 20, 21st, the number of celebrity news week year-on-year growth of 37.61%, 29.81%. In the first day of the earthquake, the number of communications interrupted, the "micro-Blog News ping" topic in a few hours of 300,000 people use, broadcast volume reached more than 20 million.

A few minutes after the earthquake, Sina Weibo's current affairs hot Search list, "Earthquake", "Yaan" quickly jumped up to the top two. China's international rescue team, Sichuan release, Tianfu micro-blog focus on Sichuan, Chengdu, and other government official micro-blog to participate in the broadcast of earthquake-related news, become an important source of seismic information from outside.

The fission spread of social media makes it become an important information release platform for Yaan earthquakes. "China International Rescue Team" in the disaster occurred within half an hour to broadcast the disaster. National Seismic Network of the official micro-BO "China Seismic Station speed" also through the form of letters to microblogging users to send disaster information.

In addition to government agencies, information publishers, including the media to the disaster areas, volunteers, local netizens, as well as communications, electricity and other basic services to protect enterprises. April 20 12:58, a netizen said: "Earthquake center in Lushan County Taiping Town." Many people are trapped. You can't call here, just use the Internet. As of April 23, the microblog was forwarded over 90,000 times and commented on more than 9,000. The three major telecom operators in the micro-blog timely release of communications repair progress.

These disaster relief information in the media, celebrities, ordinary users in the process of continuous forwarding, rapid diffusion, and constantly form a topic set. For example, netizens in the disaster area traffic congestion information forwarding and comment on the formation of "rational relief" appeal, and on the "volunteers, reporters should not go to the disaster area" started the debate.

On the Internet donation, Sina disclosed the data shows that as of 18 o'clock April 22, its micro-public platform to help launch 36 projects, the cumulative raise money breakthrough 100 million yuan, of which 28 corporate donations over 92.69 million yuan, 94069 personal donations over 9 million yuan. Tencent's network donation platform ended April 22 22 o'clock, getting about 2.14 million netizens to participate, the donation amount is 10.78 million yuan.

Tencent also said to reporters, and micro-BO broadcast transmission, micro-letter is mainly a one-to-one collection of information, with fast, clear targets and other characteristics. Statistics show that as of April 23 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the micro-letter of the official public account has received more than 700 effective tracing information, verified through the micro-letter platform to find relatives and friends of 97 people, received the disaster area for help information 28, verified real information 25, and direct feedback to the rescue organization ahead.

"Error correction mechanism" to net rumors

"If Your mother says she loves you, check it out." (if mom says she loves you, you have to make sure) "--for social networks that gather information in the Yaan quake, the slang that reminds journalists to check facts is magnified in the public eye.

"Weibo has delivered a lot of positive energy, but rumors are spreading and propagating at an alarming rate." Shenyang, a professor of information management at Wuhan University, concluded that the shortcomings of social media are still unavoidable when summing up the role of Weibo in disaster relief.

Everyone netizens on the social network on the Yaan earthquake rumors were collated and summarized, involving disaster development, disaster relief, donations, earthquake prediction and many other aspects. Among them widely spread such as: "Mother in Yaan Shuicheng County Hospital injury Heavy", "Cheng Ya high Speed charge", "Seismic photo stealthily" and so on.

"There is no statistics on the amount of rumours being forwarded. "Sina related official said that after the catastrophe rumors spread is an unavoidable fact, but compared with the Wenchuan earthquake 5 years ago and the Japanese earthquake three years ago, the rumors about the Yaan earthquake, whether the number or influence are much smaller.

The Sina people believe that the social network of the purification mechanism is already in effect, "most of the rumors were quickly identified by netizens, and in the form of forwarding, commenting on the rumor."

Social networks provide a fast-spreading channel for rumors, even more so that rumors are nowhere to be monitored by netizens. "Wenchuan earthquake rumors flying, the earthquake occurred in Japan to rob Salt Storm, Beijing floods in Tongzhou to earthquake rumors also spread." "Sina people believe that, as users continue to mature and rational, its false information on the identification of the increasing."

In addition to the social network's own error-correcting mechanism, Sina Weibo and other platforms themselves have taken a number of measures to refute, such as through the micro-Bo secretary to the false information on the "untrue Information" label. Tencent Weibo said it developed "rumor Terminator", "Rumor label" and other products used to refute the rumor, but also a dedicated editorial team to scan rumors.

As for the micro-letter official public account, Tencent said, because it directly displays the user's area, and has 5 people editorial team to receive the tracing and help information for telephone verification, received less false information. Tencent said that because the micro-credit mechanism and micro-blog is different, can not be evaluated.

Protect yourself from media "noise"

Whether it is information aggregation, or false information error correction, social networking platform function is largely based on the "everyone is media" operating mechanism, whether micro-bo or micro-letter, its own commitment to the main function of the carrier.

This avoids the traditional media's self choice and tendentious topic setting, let the information transmission speed, the participation degree and the universality obtains the breakthrough. Traditional media have also struggled to make sound on these emerging social networks. However, "Everyone is the media" also let the information dissemination process of "show", "public relations" and other noise is magnified.

Zhang, the CEO of the Mobile Internet advisory agency, said to reporters compared with the long-term formation of traditional media, the social network is still lack of certain norms and constraints, mainly reflected in the micro-blog corporate accounts and micro-letters in the media from the use of focus events to show, corporate PR.

Zhang that this phenomenon is related to the stage of development of social networks in China, "some enterprises think that rendering these can show their social responsibility, once abused, the result will arouse public antipathy, and ultimately damage corporate image and brand." ”

Zhang further said that in the future, some enterprises in the recognition of this problem, will be self-restraint and moderation, this is the social network after the purification of false information in a sense of the self correction, but for those who "do not mind the image, want to occasion Enterprise", It should be regulated through the platform of social networks and relevant regulatory authorities.