Sharing and searching on social media in crises and disasters – A latent class analysis of a representative online sample

In crises and disasters (CaD), social media is used by authorities and the public to exchange information in almost real-time, making it pivotal for crisis management. However, there is a research gap regarding information-related behaviors of social media users in CaD. Using latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression models, this study explores patterns of sharing and searching information on social media in CaD and their association with sociodemographic data in a representative sample of German Internet users. Users with a high probability of using social media in CaD were younger, higher educated, had more children, and lived in larger households. We identified four latent classes each for searching (allrounders, family users, observers, casual users) and sharing (allrounders, locators, informants, casual users). While casual users were primarily interested in weather or traffic information, family users tended to seek updates about family and friends. Only a minority searched for protective measures and official information (allrounders) or eyewitness accounts (observers) regarding CaD.

Read the full article