European expectations of disaster information provided by critical infrastructure operators

Previous research into social media crisis communication has tended to focus on use by emergency managers rather than other key stakeholder, critical infrastructure (CI) operators. This article adds to the field by empirically investigating public expectations of information provided by CI operators during crisis situations and if CI operators currently meet such expectations. It draws on key themes that emerged from a review of the literature on public expectations of disaster related information shared via social media. Then, it presents the results of an online questionnaire and interview-based study of disaster-vulnerable communities in France, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. Results indicate that members of the public expect CI operators to provide disaster related information via traditional and social media, but not necessarily respond to their queries on social media. Operators appear to meet public expectations of traditional media use, but should expand their current practices to include digital media. Recommendations for CI operators on how to do use social media follow

The view from above : a drone's perspective on the world

Drones are used increasingly by amateur photographers, which is why Dr Elisa Serafinelli and Dr Lauren Alex O’Hagan, at the University of Sheffield in the UK, are exploring whether and how drone visuals are changing our visual culture. The project aims to encourage readers and viewers to reflect on how drones have created new ways of visualising and embodying our world

Views from the blue : a glimpse in drone photography

Dr Elisa Serafinelli and Dr Lauren Alex O’Hagan (Research Associate, University of Sheffield) discuss their Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded project Drones in Visual Culture and their forthcoming digital exhibition Views From the Blue, which encourages viewers to reflect on how drones are reshaping our geographical imaginations and understanding of the world

Enhancing critical infrastructure resilience through information-sharing: recommendations for European critical infrastructure operators

This paper explores how critical infrastructure (CI) resilience can be improved through effective crisis communication between CI operators and members of the public. Drawing on academic and practice-based research into crisis and risk communication, as well as the results of 31 interviews conducted with key stakeholders from across Europe, the AESOP guidelines are proposed for enhancing the communication and information-sharing strategies of CI operators. These emphasise the importance of integrating both traditional and digital media into a multi-channel communication strategy that facilitates dialogue between CI operators and key stakeholders including emergency management organisations and representatives of local communities. The information-seeking behaviours of citizens should be evaluated by these organisations in order to ensure that this messaging reaches key demographics in disaster-vulnerable areas. This paper concludes by examining how post-disaster learning should be incorporated into a flexible framework for crisis and risk communication that manages public expectations about the time needed to restore services in the aftermath of large-scale incidents

‘Privacy does not interest me’. A comparative analysis of photo sharing on Instagram and Blipfoto

Photo sharing online has become immensely popular and is a central aspect of modern visual culture. Yet it creates a number of privacy issues, both in relation to other individuals and corporate surveillance. The purpose of this study was to investigate users’ understanding of privacy issues in photo sharing, based on a comparative study of two contrasting platforms: Instagram and Blipfoto. The study combined netnography and in-depth interviewing. It was found that Instagram users had a greater awareness of how the platform might use their data, but saw this loss of privacy as inevitable in return for a free service. Blipfoto users were more trusting of what they experienced as a very community minded platform. Any concerns felt by both groups of users were out-weighed by the sense that photo sharing was highly meaningful and their fascination with watching and being watched. Both groups main approach to privacy was through restricting certain types of image of people and not revealing the location of certain personal spaces. Notions of privacy thus remained primarily personal and ignored corporate dataveillance

Regional labour market mobility. A network analysis of inter-firm relatedness

Labour market rigidity is known to hamper the proper adjustment of an economy, thus making it less resilient to shocks. This paper investigates the characteristics and resilience of the regional labour flow network in Veneto, a region famous for its industrial districts and the expertise of its workforce. A unique database of inter-firm worker mobility is used and the made-in-Italy relatedness to other industries is quantified. Descriptive results suggest that permanent-contract workers are more mobile within-sector than fixed-term contractors. The latter are more mobile across sectors. A finer disaggregation of the made-in-Italy industries shows that textile, food and woodwork are highly related to leisure-retail, logistics-wholesale and agriculture. These results can orient policy-making in getting faster labour reallocation. Network analysis establishes a number of stylised facts about labour flow networks, in particular, a hierarchical organisation of flows and a preference for workers to move from low-connected to high-connected firms and vice-versa, i.e. disassortativity. Unlike previous research, this paper identifies clusters of a non-spatial nature, that is, based on the intensity of labour flows. Regression analysis shows that labour mobility, both in and out, is beneficial for firms. However, being located inside labour clusters negatively affects firm performance. Interestingly, when these clusters include MNEs, the firm benefits. These results combined suggest that variety of connections prevails over standardisation