Social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication—A citizen-centered media and communication consumption perspective

To secure more resilient communities in the future, it is essential to strengthen the links between all actors. Communication and active engagement are tools to do so. Based on a case study of communication practices in relation to disasters and emergencies in a Danish urban setting, this article ex...

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Main Authors: Nina Blom Andersen, Louise Hill, Nina Baron, Anne Bach Nielsen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Communication
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1568839/full
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author Nina Blom Andersen
Louise Hill
Nina Baron
Anne Bach Nielsen
author_facet Nina Blom Andersen
Louise Hill
Nina Baron
Anne Bach Nielsen
author_sort Nina Blom Andersen
collection DOAJ
description To secure more resilient communities in the future, it is essential to strengthen the links between all actors. Communication and active engagement are tools to do so. Based on a case study of communication practices in relation to disasters and emergencies in a Danish urban setting, this article examines the potential of applying the principles of crowdsourcing and active social listening to enhance the links between disaster management organizations and citizens. The case study is based on a triangulation of expert interviews with representatives from disaster management organizations, focus groups and surveys with citizens, as well as a media ethnographic study of interactions and conversations on local social media. The study finds that some organizations are already applying principles of crowdsourcing and active social listening, but there is a need to consider local context and media consumption in order to succeed. The study shows that though the majority of the residents in the case community are very digitalized, there are at least two obstacles for digital crowdsourcing and social listening in this setting: firstly the preferred social media is not suited for digital crowdsourcing and secondly the residents prefer to communicate through a variety of other platforms and networks as well, where digital crowdsourcing and social listening is not possible. Based on those findings, this article discusses methods to apply in addition to the digital ones to further strengthen the relations between disaster management organizations and citizens.
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spelling doaj-art-e788b05d1a034b42b9f8c4ea7042a6352025-08-20T03:07:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2025-06-011010.3389/fcomm.2025.15688391568839Social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication—A citizen-centered media and communication consumption perspectiveNina Blom Andersen0Louise Hill1Nina Baron2Anne Bach Nielsen3Emergency and Risk Management Program, University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkEmergency and Risk Management Program, University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkEmergency and Risk Management Program, University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Public Health, Global Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkTo secure more resilient communities in the future, it is essential to strengthen the links between all actors. Communication and active engagement are tools to do so. Based on a case study of communication practices in relation to disasters and emergencies in a Danish urban setting, this article examines the potential of applying the principles of crowdsourcing and active social listening to enhance the links between disaster management organizations and citizens. The case study is based on a triangulation of expert interviews with representatives from disaster management organizations, focus groups and surveys with citizens, as well as a media ethnographic study of interactions and conversations on local social media. The study finds that some organizations are already applying principles of crowdsourcing and active social listening, but there is a need to consider local context and media consumption in order to succeed. The study shows that though the majority of the residents in the case community are very digitalized, there are at least two obstacles for digital crowdsourcing and social listening in this setting: firstly the preferred social media is not suited for digital crowdsourcing and secondly the residents prefer to communicate through a variety of other platforms and networks as well, where digital crowdsourcing and social listening is not possible. Based on those findings, this article discusses methods to apply in addition to the digital ones to further strengthen the relations between disaster management organizations and citizens.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1568839/fullsocial listeningmedia consumptiondisaster communicationcrowdsourcingdisaster governancecitizens
spellingShingle Nina Blom Andersen
Louise Hill
Nina Baron
Anne Bach Nielsen
Social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication—A citizen-centered media and communication consumption perspective
Frontiers in Communication
social listening
media consumption
disaster communication
crowdsourcing
disaster governance
citizens
title Social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication—A citizen-centered media and communication consumption perspective
title_full Social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication—A citizen-centered media and communication consumption perspective
title_fullStr Social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication—A citizen-centered media and communication consumption perspective
title_full_unstemmed Social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication—A citizen-centered media and communication consumption perspective
title_short Social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication—A citizen-centered media and communication consumption perspective
title_sort social listening and crowdsourcing in disaster communication a citizen centered media and communication consumption perspective
topic social listening
media consumption
disaster communication
crowdsourcing
disaster governance
citizens
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1568839/full
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