Social Networks as Life Lines

Got a public-health emergency? Log into Facebook.

But don't stop there. Three emergency-management experts say in a commentary this week in the New England Journal of Medicine that Twitter, foursquare, Loopt, smartphone apps, RSS feeds and other social networking sites and technologies can quickly spread critical information to large groups in the chaotic aftermath of crisis or disaster.

Social networking isn't the disaster manager's only tool, but it's an increasingly important one, say the authors, Dr. Raina M. Merchant, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Pennsylvania's Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Stacy Elmer, a special assistant to Lurie. (Lurie and Elmer noted that they are not speaking on behalf of HSS.)

"The effectiveness of our public health emergency system relies on routine attention to preparedness, agility in responding to daily stresses and catastrophes, and the resilience that promotes rapid recovery," they write. "Social media can enhance each of these component efforts."

The commentary cites several examples of social media playing a role in crises:

• "Speak-to-Tweet," which sends brief Twitter messages through a voice connection, was used during the Egyptian uprising.
• The Ushahidi crowd-sourcing platform linked health-care providers with suppliers after the Haiti earthquake.
• Haitian earthquake victims trapped in rubble asked for help on Facebook.
• The Alexandria, Va., health department tweeted and texted information on where to go for H1N1 flu vaccines.
• Residents texted photos of oil-soaked birds to the Louisiana Bucket Brigade after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, helping volunteers determine where to focus clean-up efforts.

The last example illustrates how social networking can help citizens become part of response efforts, the authors note. At the same time, they say, disaster victims can use social networking to access key resources.

There are downsides, the commentary points out. The technology is less likely to reach at-risk populations, and false messages can cause panic or facilitate scams. Studies are needed to evaluate the reliability and validity of public health information transmitted through social media.

But, they say, social media can bolster current communications systems, "substantially increasing our ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from events that threaten the public's health."