Proposal for a social media-focused emergency communications protocol based on a scoping review and expert validation

Abstract

Introduction: Social media platforms play a crucial role in crisis and emergency communication by institutions and traditional media. However, evidence suggests that the use of social media for such purposes remains inconsistent and lacks standardization and institutionalization. Methodology: We present a social media protocol for emergency situations, developed from a decade of research experience by the study team, a scoping review of the existing literature, and interviews with emergency managers and journalists. Results: The protocol was evaluated by a panel of ten experts to assess its overall usefulness and effectiveness, both overall and in terms of specific items, and to provide suggestions for improvement. The experts gave positive evaluations, considering the protocol a valuable tool for emergency management and emphasizing its capacity to synthesize processes. Conclusions: The protocol presented in this study has the potential to support and enhance the work of crisis and emergency communication teams.

Funding was provided by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain with the project “Crisis and emergency communication on Social Media. Study of its use in Spain and design of information protocols for institutions and media (COMCRISIS)” with reference code PID2019-109064GB-I00. 2020-2024.