2021/04/19 by Paula Dootson, T.J. Thomson, Daniel Angus +3 · 1 voice
Engineering · Social Sciences · #Disaster Management and Resilience #Evacuation and Crowd Dynamics #Public Relations and Crisis Communication
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102249
openalex publication_date 2021/04/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
In natural hazard emergencies, visual media (images, videos) document and convey the possible risk, impact, and severity of the hazard. Issues arise when the visuals being circulated, at scale and speed, are manipulated, fake, or are from an unrelated event or location. These problematic visuals can impact how communities interpret the risk of an emergency. Further, when visual media present information (i.e. a cue) in conflict with what an emergency services agency is instructing the public to do, it can lead to uncertainty and confusion in the community on how to act. This research identifies four specific types of problematic visual media that are common to natural hazard emergencies in Australia. We propose a combination of reactive and proactive strategies that can be employed by emergency services agencies to manage the extent and impact of these problematic visuals.