Hurricane Sandy and Social Media: An Analysis

The influence of social media during natural disasters and national crises was clearly shown in the case of this past fall’s Hurricane Sandy that hit the Northeast. The sheer amount of national social media attention to the storm and its destruction shows how powerful platforms like Twitter really can be. 

Meteorologists around the country were able to keep people updated on the local status of the storm, allowing them time to prepare in case of emergency. There were certainly some insensitive tweets, from hopeful high school and college students wanting school to be cancelled to “prank tweets” showing doctored photos of Armageddon-like images of the New York City skyline and stores offering special celebratory discounts in honor of the storm. 

These received scorn and backlash from many, including victims whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed by the dangerous storm.  This just goes to show how important it is for not only individuals, but especially companies and corporations to pay attention to current events and think with sensitivity before acting online.

Still, amid the misplaced “excitement” as people awaited the arrival of the storm, not realizing just how destructive it would be for many, there are also stories of hope and community that stem from social media usage during a time of need. I enjoyed seeing tweets in the days after the storm of people traveling to rebuild the affected areas, and Facebook pages to raise money for those in need were abounding in the wake of the destruction. In a time when phone lines and communication in general were hard to come by, social media was sometimes the primary method of communication between friends, family and neighbors affected by the storm. Through Facebook pages, people were able to keep tabs on the status of their damaged property as locals kept updating with photos and video, as noted in this article from the New Jersey Star-Ledger. There was also much talk and debate about the New York City Marathon cancellation in the wake of the storm, as many runners showed up to help with relief efforts in lieu of running. 

Without channels like Facebook and Twitter, we as a nation may not have understood the impact of this weather tragedy. I sometimes wonder how we would have reacted to major tragedies in the past, like Columbine and 9/11, had social media been around. The far-reaching, instantaneous properties of social media show how worthy these platforms can be as communication tools in times of emergency. Despite the occasional hoaxes and insensitive comments, the benefits of social media in times of crisis are clear.