'#RecoverSouthCoast: Understanding Social Media Use in Bushfire Recovery' is investigating how social media use is affecting bushfire recovery on the NSW South Coast. Particularly in relation to rebuilding and financial support for bushfire-affected communities, and solidarity, community connectedness, and emotional wellbeing of bushfire survivors.
Building Resilient Communities
- #RecoverSouthCoast
- Antimicrobial Resistance
- Building Community Resilience to Bushfires
- Community Resilience
- Cultural Burning for Resilience
- Cultural Revitalisation
- Disability inclusion and capacity building for emergencies
- Microfinance and Women's Empowerment
- Olivier Ferrer Fund
- Ready for Anything
- Sense Spaces
- Smart Cities for understanding living in Liverpool
- Stories affording pathways to healing
- Stronger Culture, Healthier Lifestyles
- Sustainability in STEM
- Weed management in post-fire landscapes
#RecoverSouthCoast
Social media can play a critical role in disaster recovery, and its importance to the bushfire recovery in NSW has likely increased due to physical distancing associated with COVID-19.
Social media platforms (e.g. Twitter, Facebook) can facilitate recovery processes by helping communities to stay connected, share experiences, and access information and resources for rebuilding communities. This includes mobilising donations of goods and money, encouraging tourism, expressing feelings, seeking assistance, and showing empathy or solidarity for those requiring emotional support. It is therefore vital to understand how bushfire-affected communities engage with (i.e. share, comment, like, reshape) social media content and how this engagement supports community recovery.
This research adopts an interdisciplinary approach (artificial intelligence, data analytics, psychology, social science, nursing, mental health, linguistics) to explore the nuanced connections between social media use and bushfire recovery on the NSW South Coast.
Researchers
Robert Ogie (EIS), Joshua Whittaker (SMAH), Alison Moore (ASSH), Mehrdad Amirghasemi (EIS), Mitch Byrne (ASSH), Sharon James (SMAH).
