Media News - Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Thais turn to social media for flood updates

Traffic of online social media and other websites has surged during Thailand’s flood disaster in recent weeks, once again demonstrating the power of social media in a crisis. Thais have complained repeatedly that government officials are providing confused or contradictory reports on the floods, which at times were said to be receding, only to spread to more areas later. So social media has become the fastest — and in some cases, most reliable — way for many Thais, expats, travelers and other people around the world to get real-time updates on the situation. The number of Twitter users in Thailand has climbed 20 percent to 600,000 in the past two months when the impact of the floods were just starting to bear down on the kingdom, according to local media reports. Monthly growth for social media usage is usually in the single-digits. News websites and blogs, meanwhile, have also seen a surge in traffic. Many Twitter uses have posted tweets and pictures under the hashtags #thaifloods or #thaiflood, which continue to generate dozens of tweets every second. Bloggers, journalists and even a group consisting of volunteer animators and filmmakers called the “Roo Su Flood Group” — the creative force behind an informative video on the floods featuring friendly blue whales — are now going viral. The Thai government, for its part, has tried to join in the social media scrum to provide up-to-date information and details of government assistance. Its official website provides the latest information from authorities along with emergency phone numbers. But people are more often turning to independently-operated Twitter accounts and websites, even though oftentimes the accuracy of their information can’t be verified. (Wall Street Journal)

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