Symbolic interactionism, social media, and the Australian 2011 floods: Stepping stones in a crisis, or watering down reality?

Social media played a huge part in the response efforts for the recent Queensland floods.  Reflecting back at the amount of time I spent glued to my iPhone, I wonder if the medium plays too large a part in our lives?

Social media: Stepping stones in a crisis

Up until now, my use of social media in a crisis has been limited.  I watched Iran’s Twitter revolution with interest, as did governments such as China and Egypt, who apply the power of censorship to counter the power of voice.  The closest I have come in Australia to actually relying on the channel was when my studio lost phone communication to a project in a remote location a few years back and I used Twitter to assess consumer reaction.

My perspective changed from convenience to lifeline when my house was flooded and the majority of my community lost power in the Ipswich floods of January 2011.  Facebook through friends and the excellent Queensland Police Service page played a key role in mobilising volunteers to clear belongings out of houses hours before the waters came and cleaning up days after the floods receded. Twitter hashtags such as #qldflood and #thebigwet communicated critical information about expected peak river levels, activities of emergency response crews, and connecting missing persons.

In the days after the flood, I found myself checking my iPhone Tweetdeck and Facebook apps compulsively as I used each post to stay atop the tides of uncertainty and ignorance.  Anyone with a social media lifeline became a subject matter expert whose reign lasted about five minutes until the next round of tweets.  I immersed myself in the conversation, swimming in the stream of two-way communication.  I also found myself slowly slipping below the hard surface of reality.

Symbolic interaction: defining a identity lost in social media

Social media demonstrates a premise called symbolic interactionism, which states that we find meaning in a given situation based upon reflecting upon our own actions through the eyes of others.  Through social media, we define our identity based upon our perception of how others view our communications.  This identity is validated and reinforced or altered by the communication through retweets, post comments, and replies.

This process creates what is called a “social looking glass” and a “divided self”.  Our communications act as a mask that reflects back to us a self we wish to portray. Through continued communication, we then work to resolve the gap between who we are and who we communicate ourselves to be.

As I experienced the challenges of the floods, I could see how the promise of communicating through Facebook and Twitter could be a welcome relief to the reality of the situation.  I could get lost in portraying my own identity and being a voyeur in the identities of others rather than deal with uncertainties of insurance and rebuilding our home and finances.  My lifeline could become a crutch of life support.

Be who you are as much as you talk about who you are

Symbolic interactionism and its depiction of the divided self is not “bad” per se, but merely an observation of a natural social condition.  The floods exaggerated a condition in myself I have observed in other social media participants.  As I move past the immediate crisis and engage in supporting my family in the clean-up effort, I wonder if we are challenged to remain fully in the moment even as we continue to participate in the wider online conversation.

If you too are part of the ever-growing membership of Facebook and Twitter, I challenge you to conduct a similar self-reflection.  It is natural for you to use communication as a means to confirm identity.  Just be careful you take time to be in the moment.

Remember, you need to spend time “being” who you are in order to continue communicating about who you are.

My Twitter script

I leave you with the script of my life during the flood, and a very public insight into who I am.

	so… um… does this mean the Queensland drought is over? http://bit.ly/eEBQMO
	No more “have a good day”. Queensland salutation is now “stay dry”. http://yfrog.com/hs64nprj #queenslandfloods
	No ifs. Brisbane is next. Wivenhoe Dam at 140% capacity, releases expected to flood Brisbane and Ipswich over next few days #qldflood
	Amount of water flowing into Wivenhoe Dam higher than inflows into the catchment in 1974 floods. #qldflood
	King tide expected next Friday, will exasperate the situation. #qldflood
	Current studio task: Move all PCs off the floor as likely floods approach. An alternative Brisbane flood map is here: http://bit.ly/eBfANh
	RT @miafreedman: For the latest on #qldfloods, you can livestream 612 ABC Brisbane http://bit.ly/aBMi7F
	Heading home for a pool party. Should be fun. Hope no one peed in the river. That would be gross. #qldflood
	“I live on an acre on the river” yeah, you’re not too clever now, are you, smart guy. #qldflood
	On my way home in Moores Pocket, passed my neighbor evacuating. There’s a good feeling. #qldflood
	Ok, giving in to peer pressure from Moores Pocket neighbors. Packing up, after getting sand bags. #qldflood
	Ipswich ses sandbag station on Thorn street. Says over 500 cars through today. #qldflood
	Strategy to keep back the mighty river. Water is afraid of sand bags, so they say. http://yfrog.com/h8xhcpkj
	Humbled by the assistance with the evacuation, thanks Ariane, Phillip, DES, et all and offers of support. #qldflood
	7+ hrs, 15+ incredible people, and we have an empty house. I expect my stuff to be on eBay by morning. #qldflood
	No power in Tivoli, no trains between Rosewood and Dinmore, heading to Moores Pocket soon to assess. #qldflood
	Moores Pocket, my place expecting shoulder height, many under water. Rescued some neighbor dogs this AM. Good fun. #qldflood
	Brief swim to the house. Doing our part to reduce Queensland’s fire hazard rating. http://yfrog.com/h3qc9asj #qldflood
	The good news: I now have a water bed. http://yfrog.com/h4ud5qij
	RT @stillpixels: PLS RT: Trying to locate my dad Roderick, flooded in on Rosebery Tce at Chelmer, he’s 65, hasn’t been heard from since 10am
	Worst of Brisbane flood appears over. Breakfast is glazed white dove with olive branch seasoning. #qldflood
	Spent day cleaning neighbor’s place. Moores Pocket, Ipswich hit bad. Power returning to region Insurance assessor by tomorrow AM. #qldflood
	RT @briscreative: Tips on cleaning up after a flood http://3.ly/fE4E #qldfloods #vicfloods #nswfloods
	Flood cleanup day 2, and we realize the “Queensland fighting spirit” is contained in guys with desk jobs. Very sore. #qldflood
	For those cleaning #qldflood today, remember: dirt isn’t the only thing making the water brown. Keep that soap nearby.
	Time makes things relative. If I did this to my house 5 days ago, I would be in trouble. http://yfrog.com/h721pej #qldflood
	Don’t survive the flood, only to be taken out by skin cancer. Wear sunscreen, you florescent fighters. #qldflood http://yfrog.com/h042vgj
	2:30 am, day 3. Exciting adventure part is coming to a close. It’s starting to sink in. #qldflood
	The flood of water is now replaced with a flood of cars. Volunteers, love your work, but car pool if you can. Thx! 🙂 #qldflood
	Saw pics of the studio team out cleaning up from the #qldflood. Humbled. More impressed than any website release. Ever.
	Called Centrelink for #qldflood assistance. She had a computer error. I resisted the urge to troubleshoot, she sorted, crisis averted.
	v-cool pre/post #qldflood interactive maps: http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/qld-floods/beforeafter.htm
	Met with insurance assessor re: #qldflood. Now that is one busy man.
	Digging out my clothes for tomorrow, I assume that being a flood victim allows me to also be a fashion victim. #qldflood
	Putting my work slacks back on, I am faced with the devastation the #qldflood volunteer’s free beer and cupcakes have done to my waistline.
	But it was good beer and cupcakes. Most appreciated at the time. Carrot sticks and vegetable juice would not have been the same. #qldflood
	Reading through our home insurance policy. We are not covered for misuse of nuclear weapons. Take care when using those nukes, folks.
	For those who recognize my attire, I wasn’t kidding about not finding my clothes. Outlook for diversity tomorrow promising, though #qldflood
	Lesson from #qldflood: An adventure without any challenges is called a fantasy. One day at a time.
	As I move from one temporary location to another less so, I am reminded of just how temporary all our locations are. #qldflood
	Interesting side effect of being displaced by the floods, waking up before 3:30 every morning. This is going to be one grouchy nation.
	floods. cut. on leg. not healing. can’t think. tired. hungry. must notttt. uuuu. brains…. #qldflood
	Chad’s Blog: My Ipswich / Brisbane 2011 flood experience: Lose a house, gain perspective http://bit.ly/h75VR6 #qldflood