Mariah R. Jenkins, Sara K. McBride, Meredith Morgoch and Hollie Smith
The 2019 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) cites earthquakes as the most damaging natural hazard globally, causing billions of dollars of damage and…
Abstract
Purpose
The 2019 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) cites earthquakes as the most damaging natural hazard globally, causing billions of dollars of damage and killing thousands of people. Earthquakes have the potential to drastically impact physical, social and economic landscapes; to reduce this risk, earthquake early warning (EEW) systems have been developed. However, these technical EEW systems do not operate in a vacuum; the inequities in social systems, along with the needs of diverse populations, must be considered when developing these systems and their associated communication campaigns.
Design/methodology/approach
This article reviews aspects of social vulnerability as they relate to ShakeAlert, the EEW system for the USA. The authors identified two theories (relationship management theory and mute group theory) to inform self-reflective questions for agencies managing campaigns for EEW systems, which can assist in the development of more inclusive communication practices. Finally, the authors suggest this work contributes to important conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues within early warning systems and earthquake preparedness campaigns in general.
Findings
To increase inclusivity, Macnamara (2012) argues that self-reflective questioning while analyzing perspective, philosophy and approaches for a campaign can help. Specific to EEW campaigns, developers may find self-reflective questions a useful approach to increase inclusion. These questions are guided by two theories and are explored in the paper.
Research limitations/implications
Several research limitations exist. First, this work explores two theories to develop a combined theoretical model for self-reflective questions. Further research is required to determine if this approach and the combination of these two theories have adequately informed the development of the reflective questions.
Originality/value
The authors could find little peer-reviewed work examining DEI for EEW systems, and ShakeAlert in particular. While articles on early warning systems exist that explore aspects of this, EEW and ShakeAlert, with its very limited time frames for warnings, creates unique challenges.
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Keywords
Ellen Middaugh, Sherry Bell and Mariah Kornbluh
In response to concerns about fake news (Allcott et al., 2019) and polarization (Wollebaek et al., 2019), youth media literacy interventions have emerged to teach strategies for…
Abstract
Purpose
In response to concerns about fake news (Allcott et al., 2019) and polarization (Wollebaek et al., 2019), youth media literacy interventions have emerged to teach strategies for assessing credibility of online news (McGrew et al., 2018) and producing media to mobilize others for civic goals (Kahne et al., 2016). However, in light of evidence that practices learned in classroom contexts do not reliably translate to the context of sharing social media (Middaugh, 2018), this study aims to provide a better understanding of youth social media practices needed to design meaningful and relevant educational experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
Semistructured interviews with a think-aloud component were conducted with a diverse sample of 18 California youth (15–24) to learn about factors that guide behavior as they access, endorse, share, comment and produce civic media.
Findings
Findings suggest a shift toward reliance on incidental exposure and noninstitutional sources when accessing information and a tendency toward endorsement and circulation of posts (vs producing original posts) when engaging with civic issues on social media. As participants engaged in these practices, they not only applied judgments of credibility and civic impact but also concerned for personal relevance, relational considerations and fit with internet culture.
Originality/value
The authors recommend moving beyond models that reflect linear processes of effortful search, credibility analysis and production. Instead, the authors propose a new dynamic model of civic media literacy in which youth apply judgments of credibility, relational considerations, relevance to lived experience, civic impact and fit with internet culture as they receive, endorse, share, comment on and produce media in a nonlinear fashion.
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Vincent K. Peralta and Brian H. Kleiner
The numbers are staggering. Between 1820 and 1980, a span of 160 years, approximately 50 million immigrants have entered the United States (see Tables 1 and 2). The United States…
Abstract
The numbers are staggering. Between 1820 and 1980, a span of 160 years, approximately 50 million immigrants have entered the United States (see Tables 1 and 2). The United States has traditionally received immigrants and, in fact, has received a larger number of immigrants than any other country in history. Even now, immigrants are still flocking to the US. More recent statistics for this decade show that during the five year period between 1981 and 1985, an average of 573,000 legal immigrants were admitted to the US. In addition to legal immigrants, according to some estimates, the number of illegal immigrants is growing by up to 500,000 a year. This steady flow of immigrants is having a significant impact on demographics. The Census Bureau estimates that immigration now accounts for about 28 percent of the US population growth. Because of the close proximity to many Latin American countries, one of the fastest growing ethnic groups of immigrants is the Hispanic (see Table 3). Latin Americans accounted for 35 percent of all legal immigration between 1981 and 1985 and account for three‐fourths of the estimated 500,000 yearly illegal immigrants. Hispanics, as a group, are growing so fast that according to a study conducted by Leon F. Bouvier and Robert W. Gardner, if present trends continue, within a hundred years non‐Hispanic whites of European origin will no longer constitute a majority of the US population. In addition, if current legal and illegal immigration trends continue and annual immigration averages one million, the non‐Hispanic white population would drop to just under 50 percent by 2080.
Eefje Hendriks, Laura Marlene Kmoch, Femke Mulder and Ricardo Fuentealba
The paper aims to call attention to issues that may be missing or taken for granted in discourses on migrants and disasters by applying the author’s viewpoint to reflect on gaps…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to call attention to issues that may be missing or taken for granted in discourses on migrants and disasters by applying the author’s viewpoint to reflect on gaps and potentials for disaster risk reduction.
Design/methodology/approach
The author discusses key issues based on reflective engagement with selected secondary documentation in the form of grey and scholarly literature. Personal perspectives are engaged to develop arguments on intersections that are relevant to the migrant situation in different frameworks in disaster studies.
Findings
While migrants are considered significant stakeholders in key global agreements on disaster and migration, encounters with disaster literature from a more localised level reveal how references to the migrant sector can be omitted or racialised. This gap can be filled by searching for documentation of migrant strengths and vulnerabilities. However, further reflection demonstrates how adopting broader perspectives can reveal these strengths and vulnerabilities as part of more appropriate and sustainable disaster risk reduction strategies. The paper also shows how such reflections can be led by insights from migrants themselves, not as subjects to be managed but as agents of their own change.
Originality/value
The paper is distinctive because it shows aspects of migrant strengths and disadvantages from a personal viewpoint. It amplifies less-heard perspectives on a conceptual level as well as in actual practice.