Social media-based disaster research: Development, trends, and obstacles

Abstract Social media, as a new data source, is a promising field in disaster research. Despite doubts about its validity, a growing number of research institutes and commercial companies are exploring the potential of social media in disaster risk management. To understand the development and trends in this domain, a bibliometric analysis was performed using 1573 related published articles in Web of Science between 1991 and 2019. We found that (1) the number of annual publications and new research institutes in this field grew rapidly but seems to have become saturated in recent years. (2) The main research force is independent universities with limited cooperation, and a knowledge network has not yet been formed in this arena. (3) Research hotspots evolve in the path of “conceptualization - refinement - application”. Due to the three features of social media data, namely, timeliness, subjectivity, and disequilibrium, obstacles still exist in applicable disaster types and population representativeness. We anticipate new scientific advances emerging to overcome some technical difficulties. Knowledge sharing, advanced computer science, and multiorganizational cooperation will benefit this arena. These findings indicate potential directions for the development of and innovation in social media-based disaster research.