Communicating Disaster: An Exploration into the Social Media Information-Sharing Platform of the Philippine Information Agency During a Tropical Cyclone

Abstract

This study analyzes the role and application of social media in the Philippine Information Agency's strategic communication particularly on how information is cascaded during a tropical cyclone. This study covers the entire country by selecting ten participants from five PIA regional offices:PIA National Capital Region (PIA-NCR), PIA Central Luzon Region, PIA Cagayan (Region 2), PIA Legazpi (Region 5), and PIA Caraga (Region 13). This is a case study of Philippine Information Agency's experiences and practices in communicating information during a weather disturbance, in this case, a typhoon that affected the community. The qualitative research approach was employed in this study to understand PIA's strategic communication formulation process using social media. In summary, the results/findings of the study are as follows: Regional offices of the Philippine Information Agency maintain an official regional Facebook page and an official Twitter account. Information officers are using social media as a platform to disseminate DRR-related information from warning agencies like PAGASA, and to gather information sourced from the public which completes the cycle of information-sharing. PIA has established social media teams in central, regional, and provincial offices and cascaded a Social Media Policy which is being followed by the personnel. The information officers assess people's understanding on DRR thru social media with the significant increase of followers in their social media pages especially during a tropical cyclone. PIA information officers revealed that their office uses several strategies to better its positioning in social media, widen its reach, and capture more followers. Attracting more followers includes knowing the audience and speaking their language, improving the pages’ content, as well as investing on page and post boost.