The symbiotic relationship of crisis response professionals and enthusiasts as demonstrated by reddit's user-interface over time

Nicolas LaLone, Jess Kropczynski, Andrea Tapia

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Since the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting of 2012, the web aggregation community Reddit has been an enthusiast-driven, public-facing source of information about crisis response efforts. We describe the evolution of Reddit's software from the Boston Marathon Bombing of 2013 to the Ferguson unrest throughout 2014. Initially, Reddit was built to aggregate verified news but beginning with the Aurora movie theater shooting, Reddit began to aggregate and verify breaking news. In response to criticism of Reddit's actions during the Boston Marathon Bombing, Reddit re-designed their software in an effort to more accurately mimic crisis response professionals by fostering rigor, information control, and tighter bureaucracy. Reddit's ability to swiftly change its software serves as an example of the possibilities of crisis informatics in practice. We highlight the processes that Reddit has taken to maintain its efficacy even within the current issues surrounding information verification and automated spreading of rumors and falsehoods.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationConference Proceedings - 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2018
EditorsBrian Tomaszewski, Kees Boersma
PublisherInformation Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM
Pages232-244
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9780692127605
StatePublished - Jan 1 2018
Event15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2018 - Rochester, United States
Duration: May 20 2018May 23 2018

Publication series

NameProceedings of the International ISCRAM Conference
Volume2018-May
ISSN (Electronic)2411-3387

Other

Other15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2018
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityRochester
Period5/20/185/23/18

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Information Systems
  • Information Systems and Management
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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