Bridging the Gap: A Case Study of Utilizing Social Media to Accelerate Recovery and Structuring Disaster Management

The widespread availability of the internet and smartphones and active participation in social media platforms reflect a substantial advancement in information and communication technology. Despite Bangladesh’s economic progress and widespread technology adoption, recurring natural disasters disrupt lives and hinder development. Using a mixed-method approach, our study examines the effectiveness of social media in disaster management activities in Bangladesh with the goal of aiding the traditional approaches with social media to alleviate post-disaster suffering. The research involves analyzing official social media data from Facebook and Instagram using CrowdTangle. This quantitative analysis is followed by semi-structured interviews with 57 people affected by the 2022 floods in Sylhet. Additionally, our study involves interviews with disaster management organizations in Bangladesh to gather valuable insights from an organizational standpoint. According to the CrowdTangle analysis, most social media activity on Facebook and Instagram during the Sylhet flood was related to the disaster itself. Around 65% of Facebook posts and 70% of Instagram posts were directly linked to the flood. The interviews highlight the difficulties faced during such crises, as well as the potential of social media in managing disasters. The study sheds light on the difficulties faced during disaster management in developing countries such as Bangladesh and offers a path toward faster recovery from the aftermath of such disasters.