Social media has been a wonderful platform for connecting friends and family in a casual atmosphere for many years now. As the prevalence of this technology has increased among many age groups, social media has since been useful in more serious circumstances.
It was just six months ago that the New York Police Department created a social media unit to fight crime, sometimes before it ever begins. For example, when rioters start to plan their mischievous acts via Twitter or Facebook, NYPD will be able to react and set up restrictions before harm can be done to anyone or anything. There are also many instances where innocent bystanders are in the mist of horrible violence, but are able to post video, photos, or information that helps authorities dilute the situation, quicker and safer. Sometimes people, especially the younger age groups, believe authorities have already been called because it's a situation that is almost too obvious for someone not to notify police. Rather than calling in the suspicious activity, they simply post and share a photo or video for their friends and followers. There have been cases where authorities are first notified solely from social networking websites. One example could be that of the safely destroyed suspicious package in Times Square. There is social media to thank for the ability to effectively alert response teams of such dangers.
During serious natural disasters where citizens are put in danger, like wildfires or floods, emergency services can broadcast real time updates and safety tips across a wide range of platforms. In situations like these, those in danger are able to check these updates on their phones when they have to stay on the move towards safety. People need information instantly and there is no better way than to get it right from emergency personnel as soon as they know.
Amber alerts are very likely to go viral in a given town, city, or state if social media is involved. With only a few people sharing with all of their friends on Facebook about the last known whereabouts and description, the likelihood of finding the missing child goes up exponentially. In years past, the way of broadcasting this alert on television would be potentially hours after the report has initially been filed with police and the child or suspect can be long gone. Social media will create a positive effect on the search by having those who have been informed to keep their eyes and ears open for any potential clues.
Social media can also work in reverse. Emergency crews can gain a beneficial perspective from people in dangerous situations that will allow the crews to use these real time updates to create strategies to stop the violence or the natural danger, i.e. from a wildfire. This situational awareness will save many lives, where people may have not been able to find the information they needed through traditional mediums.
Before instant communication between authorities and their citizens, people had to hope for the best that rescue crews will know where they might be danger. Rescue crews also had to take their best guess on how to assess the given situation.