“It helped us, and it hurt us” The role of social media in shaping agency and action among youth in post‐disaster Nepal

Abstract

This case study explores the communication platforms that youth in Nepal used to respond to the Gorkha earthquake that struck this country on 25 April 2015, and it delves into the role that social media played in shaping the relief efforts initialled and led by youth in Nepal. The data were collected through ethnographic fieldwork and 50 in‐depth interviews conducted in Nepal during the summers of 2015 and 2016 with Nepali youth directly involved in the relief efforts during the immediate aftermath. Findings show that Nepali youth served as integral agents of influence in the chaotic aftermath of the Gorkha earthquake, it highlights the various ways in which virtual communities mostly helped but (in some cases) hindered the relief distribution and coordination process, and it analyses how these 50 young people in Nepal conceptualized social media's role in shaping their agency and resilience. Implications are discussed on how the results of this case study can allow academics and practitioners gauge the effectiveness of social media platforms to respond to crises, understand their impact for people in distinct generations and evaluate the feasibility and inclusivity of using social media as a tool in national crises, especially in developing countries.

Social-Media Analysis for Disaster Prevention: Forest Fire in Artenara and Valleseco, Canary Islands

“…These results also show a clear likeness to the theory of Ukkusuri et al [47] regarding the approach of the Canary Islands authorities via Twitter to the management of emergencies derived from a natural disaster for service information. According to Dahal [41], social media should be taken as a tool in national crises due to natural disasters.…”

“…They provide platforms for the rapid detection of natural disasters [33] and quick identification of the problem [36], which serve to properly manage help resources [34]. However, understanding the dynamics of social media with respect to the audience and the use of the information is a challenge that researchers are addressing from the aspects of big data and computer science [26,[37][38][39][40][41].…”

Can people hear others’ crying?: A computational analysis of help-seeking on Weibo during COVID-19 outbreak in China

“…Social media serve as an important platform where people generate, consume and disseminate informational and emotional content in daily life ( Qu et al, 2009 ), thus becoming a potential attention space for help-seekers to voice for help during public crises ( Alshaabi et al, 2021 ; Andersson & Sundin, 2021 ; Luo et al, 2020 ). Evidence from disaster studies has shown that people voice for help during disasters ( Chu et al, 2021 ; Dahal et al, 2021 ). Several kinds of entities including communities, governments, individuals, organizations, and media outlets are active in the communication on social media during disasters ( Houston et al, 2015 ).…”

Connecting Crises: Young People in Nepal Reflecting on Life Course Transitions and Trajectories during Times of Uncertainty

“…Yonten and fellow participants, through the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Viber, and video calling applications such as Skype, used communication technology to create resources for individuals to gain access for independent rebuilding initiatives or to facilitate larger public participation during events organized through technological mediums. Similarly, from working with 50 youth participants during the earthquake, Dahal et al (2021) explore how through social media, young people in the capacity of youth responders, were able to mobilize crowdsourcing coordination and organizing abilities that supported both community resiliency and their agency as young people to participate in change-making during times of crises. Dahal et al (2021) further prioritize young people's agency through active roles as youth responders by vividly outlining that during the earthquake:…”

“…Similarly, from working with 50 youth participants during the earthquake, Dahal et al (2021) explore how through social media, young people in the capacity of youth responders, were able to mobilize crowdsourcing coordination and organizing abilities that supported both community resiliency and their agency as young people to participate in change-making during times of crises. Dahal et al (2021) further prioritize young people's agency through active roles as youth responders by vividly outlining that during the earthquake:…”