Your guide to using social media times when everything is dusty and turns into chaos ...
There used to be newspapers in our lives. We would get all the information and news from it also we would follow life from it. Then the radios came. We started to hear the sound. We witnessed the flow of information faster from a single channel. Then the voices we heard came to life on a white glass which we now call it screen. As television entered our lives, we started to witness the ever-changing channels of communication. Over the last 15 years, the existence of a completely different area has changed our lives from beginning to end. As smartphones began to spread, social media, which began to take a more active place in our daily lives, changed everything completely. Our lives have become online 24/7. We witnessed the beginning of a new era in which social media, the most time-consuming area of the Internet, is influencing our ideas, habits and behavior.
Today it is enough to look at the figures to understand clearly and see the point that social media has reached. According to the researches that have been done, 75% of Internet users are using social media networks. According to the experts, it is expected that everyone will be the part of one of these networks at some point in the future. The new generation prefers less writing, more visuals like Instagram Although it seems the user figures are rising, Twitter and Facebook are no longer frequented by the youngsters between the ages of 15 and 20. On the other hand, Instagram’s popularity is increasing day by day. On September 2016, the number of active users of this platform exceeded 500 million. It is estimated that by 2018 only 100 million Instagram users will be active in the United States. According to the statistics of ‘We are Social’, which is a globally operating digital marketing agency, there have been 37,7 million active Internet users throughout Turkey. According to this, in our country with a population of 76.7 million, the number of active Internet users is 49%. In Turkey with 40 million active social media accounts, the interaction rate is %52.
Our knowledge about the use of social media continues to increase and differentiate day by day. Do we know how to use these platforms in the event of a possible disaster at a time when the power of social media has increased so much and is leading almost all communication channels? Here's your guide to using social media in this time where everything is dusty and turned into chaos...
Share with the specified hashtag
The city hall or governorate of the district you live in, may designate a hashtag. In case of a disaster, do not forget to use these hashtags if you have Internet connection or if you can share. In this way, you can send messages that are more accessible, striking and effective.
Watch the videos
There are many videos on the Internet about how to behave during disasters. You can get clues about how you should behave by watching these videos that you can reach in foreign languages as well as Turkish.
Use platform applications
Platforms like Facebook are launching some applications, so you can speed up the communication in disaster situations such as telling people who are following you or who are your friends that you are okay. By entering these, it is possible to inform people who can’t reach you.
Join groups and share information
Disaster-related groups and associations are formed on many platforms. By being a member and by sharing regularly about your area you can find help faster.
Use location-based apps
Using location-based applications like Facebook, Google, Foursquare can also be useful. In this way, you can share more effectively and quickly about the point you are in. For example, you can provide information on the occupancy rates, coverage areas and aid distributions of the health institutions in your area.
Share through charities
Institutions such as AKUT and Kızılay, which makes effective charity work in disasters, share social contributions through social media. You can also increase the impact of these institutions by sharing over social media.
Do not keep it busy
Do not embrace or share unnecessary things on your phone, taking into account possible electrical and Internet interruptions during and after a disaster. So, you do not prevent people who really need it from accessing social media. Do not engage the Internet in unnecessary situations...
