Communications assistant professor Lucinda Austin co-authored an article about how and where people find information during crises in the Journal of Applied Communication Research.
The article, for which Austin is the first author, is titled “How Audiences Seek Out Crisis Information: Exploring the Social-Mediated Crisis Communication Model.”
The article’s abstract reads: “This study explores how audiences seek information from social and traditional media, and what factors affect media use during crises. Using the social-mediated crisis communication (SMCC) model, an examination of crisis information and sources reveals that audiences use social media during crises for insider information and checking in with family/friends and use traditional media for educational purposes. Convenience, involvement, and personal recommendations encourage social and traditional media use; information overload discourages use of both. Humor and attitudes about the purpose of social media discourage use of social media, while credibility encourages traditional media use. Practically, findings stressed the importance of third-party influence in crisis communication and the need for using both traditional and social media in crisis response.”
Read the full article here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00909882.2012.654498#preview