Examining the Factors that Influence the Use of Social Media for Disaster Management by Underserved Communities

• Published in: International journal of disaster risk science Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 52 - 65
• Main Authors: Ramakrishnan, Thiagarajan, Ngamassi, Louis, Rahman, Shahedur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 01-02-2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Access to information; African Americans; Analysis; Climate Change; Communication; Data collection; Digital divide; Digital divide (Technology); Digital media; Disaster management; Disasters; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Emergency management; Emergency preparedness; Environment; Evacuations & rescues; Hypotheses; Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning; Mathematical models; Multivariate statistical analysis; Natural Hazards; Smartphones; Social media; Social networks; Socioeconomic factors; Surveying; Surveys; Sustainable Development; Technology Acceptance Model; User behavior; Texas; Attribution theory; Digital divide; Underserved communities; Texas; Disaster management; Social media use
• ISSN: 2095-0055; 2192-6395
• DOI: 10.1007/s13753-022-00399-1

This study examined the propensity of social media use by underserved communities by drawing on the literature on the digital divide and attribution theory. Specifically, this research explored the factors that can influence the use of social media for disaster management. The study used survey methodology to collect data and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. The results of the study indicate: (1) that the propensity of social media use for disaster management is low for underserved communities; (2) a positive relationship between an individual’s effort and the intention to use social media for disaster management; and (3) a negative relationship between task difficulty and the intention to use social media for disaster management. The study expanded the literature on the use of social media in disaster management. The article also provides both theoretical and practical implications.