Social Media Issue Publics in Australia (IBM Research Colloquium 2013)

Snurb — Wednesday 13 November 2013 17:13
'Big Data' | Social Media | Social Media in Times of Crisis (ARC Linkage) | Social Media Network Mapping | New Media and Public Communication (ARC Discovery) | Crisis Communication | Twitter | Conferences |

IBM Research Colloquium 2013

Social Media Issue Publics in Australia

Axel Bruns

When important news breaks, social media facilitate the rapid formation of issue publics which come together to 'work the story' of the unfolding event. This is especially evident in the context of natural disasters and other crises. The close study of social media feeds during such crisis provides a valuable insight into the dynamics of the event, with participants acting as human sensors for new information and current trends. This paper outlines the crisis communication research conducted at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation at Queensland University of Technology, and outlines the need for further background research into the longer-term development of social media platforms.

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