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Truth, trust, and civic duty: Cultural factors in citizens' perceptions of mobile phone apps and social media in disasters
Author(s) -
ApplebyArnold Sandra,
Brockdorff Noellie,
Fallou Laure,
Bossu Rémy
Publication year - 2019
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 - 10.1111/1468-5973.12282
Subject(s) - perception , mobile phone , narrative , public relations , duty , internet privacy , social media , phone , function (biology) , business , social psychology , political science , psychology , computer science , law , telecommunications , linguistics , philosophy , neuroscience , evolutionary biology , biology
This study investigates how citizens perceive the role of mobile phone apps specifically designed for disaster communication, and how these perceptions may differ from perceived roles and functions of social media in disaster‐related tasks/situations. Focusing on trust in authorities and technology use, results suggest that social media use not only fosters trust via shared narratives and collective sense‐making but may also improve trust relationships through local authorities assuming the function of a trustworthy information provider. In disaster apps usage, trust between citizens and authorities is generated through perceptions of shared responsibility rather than shared narratives. Apps were seen as mechanisms that reveal authorities' general willingness to share control, which may help overcome citizens' perceptions that they are distrusted by authorities.