Transformations  in
Business & Economics

INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON URBAN COMMUNITY DISASTER MANAGEMENT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC¹⁰
Rui Huang, Yulian Weng

ABSTRACT: Over the past three years, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges not only to public health systems but also to national governance frameworks. Communities are the basic spatial units for public health emergency management, and how to prepare for and prevent pandemics in densely populated urban communities, thereby improving the effectiveness of community response to epidemics, is an issue of concern. To explore the functions and contributions of social media in urban community epidemic prevention and control throughout the entire COVID 19 disaster cycle in China, this study conducted 23 semi-structured interviews with community managers, community volunteers, and community residents from July to October 2023. Nine different media uses, as well as nine functions of social media in epidemic prevention and control, were identified. This study underscores the significance of social media as a pivotal tool in the preparation, response, and recovery phases of public disaster community management. It offers valuable insights and experiences regarding the reliance on and participation in public health initiatives through social media by residents of Chinese urban communities and provides recommendations for future disaster social media development and community resilience research.

KEYWORDS:  WeChat, social media, community management

JEL classification:  L86, D83, Q54.

¹⁰Acknowledgments:  In this section, you can acknowledge any support given which is not covered by the author contribution or funding sections. This may include administrative and technical support, or donations in kind (e.g., materials used for experiments). Funding: This study was supported by the Xi’an Social Sciences Fund: A Multidimensional Discourse Analysis in Emergent Events (No 22LW187).