FEMA Taps Behavior Side of Social Media

Somewhere buried within the wealth of personal information on Facebook and Twitter is a basic, scientific need to communicate, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wants to work with that.

At an event concerning the role social media plays in government crisis management co-hosted by Global Health Initiative, Inc. and the National Defense University, a representative from FEMA discussed the behavioral science in social media and how that can be leveraged in disaster response. "People's decisions in crisis are inherently social," said David Kaufman, director of policy and analysis at FEMA. "The average person checks in with 4-5 other people before deciding what to do under mandatory evacuation order. And if you don't believe me, look around the next time you're in a building and the fire alarm goes off."