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Contingencies and Communications in Cyberspace: The World Wide Web and Non‐Hierarchical Co‐ordination
Author(s) -
La Porte Todd M.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of contingencies and crisis management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.007
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1468-5973
pISSN - 0966-0879
DOI - 10.1111/1468-5973.00114
Subject(s) - interactivity , cyberspace , software deployment , emergency management , world wide web , preparedness , computer science , computer security , business , the internet , political science , law , operating system
The widespread public deployment of the World Wide Web may initiate substantial changes in the organizations tasked to deal with crises, contingencies and disasters, particularly in the systems responsible for communications and coordination. A number of properties of the Web make it an attractive addition to the communications systems in place today. These include the Web's potential for speed, interactivity, hyper‐textuality and character as both a broadcast, as well as a more restricted, communications vehicle. When viewed in light of recent work on organizational complexity, the Web seems to be an appropriate technical infrastructure for communications and organizational design and may have some useful properties in making such organizations better equipped to deal with emergencies or other unexpected events. Whether the Web is purposefully integrated into communications and coordination systems or not, it is likely to be relied on increasingly as an informal and adaptable system used by community members and by a broad array of public and private organizations. Emergency preparedness and emergency response organizations may wish to understand more about how key communication and coordination tasks can be achieved by using the Web.