Citation

Khemka A, Wukich C. Int. J. Emerg. Manage. 2017; 13(2): 89-116.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Inderscience Publishers)

DOI

10.1504/IJEM.2017.10003683

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper examines how and to what extent national-level Red Cross and Red Crescent organisations (i.e. national societies) use the social media platform Twitter. Specifically, we assess (a) adoption rates and influential factors; (b) message types and frequency; and (c) the ability to reach large audiences.

FINDINGS demonstrate that while the digital divide (i.e. the disparity between country-level internet access rates) limits adoption, key exceptions signal the potential for further diffusion. This paper also illustrates disparate message types, points out the limits of organisational reach, and presents evidence-based suggestions to improve message amplification.


Keywords: emergency management; non-governmental organisations; NGOs; social media; Twitter; media adoption; message content; organisational reach; Red Cross; Red Crescent; digital divide; social networks.

Language: en