Lost in the Fog: An Analysis of the Dissemination of Misleading Weather Information on Social Media
Open Access
Author:
Reuille, Christina Marie
Area of Honors:
Meteorology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Jon Michael Nese, Thesis Supervisor Yvette Pamela Richardson, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Meteorology Social Media
Abstract:
The growing popularity of social media has created another avenue of weather communication. Social media can be a constant source of information, including weather information. However, a qualitative analysis of Facebook and Twitter shows that much of the information published confuses and scares consumers, making it ineffective communication that does more harm than good. Vague posts or posts that fail to tell the entire weather story contribute to the ineffective communication on social media platforms, especially on Twitter where posts are limited to 140 characters. By analyzing characteristics of these rogue posts, better social media practices can be deduced. Displaying credentials, explaining posts, and choosing words carefully will help make social media a more effective form of weather communication.
