Social media use in disaster response: empowering community resilience

This article contributes to ongoing discussions on the role of grassroots mobilizations on social media in building community resilience and tackling specific challenges during disaster events. It investigates the use of two social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter, now referred to as X, during the 2021 flood in Belgium, both in the immediate aftermath of the crisis and in the short-term. First, it analyzes the activities of Facebook community groups established post-crisis over a six-month period. Then, it examines tweets related to the 2021 flood in Belgium. Finally, it complements the social media data with online interviews conducted with Facebook groups administrators. The analytical framework employs (1) a social media data-driven quantitative and qualitative text analysis using topic modeling and sentiment analysis, and (2) an inductive thematic analysis of interviews. The findings highlight the different roles played by the two social media platforms. Facebook served as an effective platform to mobilize and organize local communities for immediate and practical support, while Twitter served as a platform for broader global engagement and advocacy. The convergence of results from diverse data sources provides comprehensive insights into the effectiveness and challenges of leveraging social media for community resilience in the aftermath of disaster events.