September 2011

The Great East Japan Earthquake: How Disaster Survivors Used the Media

From Online Group Interviews of Internet Users

Ayako Shigyo

Amid the lost lifeline and repeated aftershocks that amplified fear and anxiety, the earthquake and tsunami survivors obtained disaster-related information not only from conventional media such as television and radio, but also from social network media represented by Twitter and mixi. The author examined in concrete how net users in afflicted areas used the media – their behaviors and attitudes toward media use – and what role television should play at the time of disaster, by conducting online group interviews.

Net users in their 20s though 40s living in Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Aomori, and Ibaraki Prefectures, which were severely damaged by the 3/11 disaster, were interviewed. An internet bulletin board was used to ask questions on their media usage in chronological order, from the time when the quake occurred to after a month time. Three groups were set: 1. social media users (residents of Iwate, Miyagi, Aomori, or Ibaraki Prefectures), 2. those who do not use social media (residents of Iwate, Miyagi, Aomori, or Ibaraki Prefectures), and 3. social media users in Fukushima Prefecture.

It is revealed that the information that residents in afflicted areas wanted to get first and foremost was local information that are specific, concrete, and pinpoint (such as damage situation in and around residential areas, safety of specific individuals, locations of evacuation centers, when the lifeline will be restored, how to get food, water, and petrol, and whether shops are open or not). For them, information provided NHK and other Tokyo-based network TV stations regarding overall damage and nuclear accident were macro information, and did not sufficiently satisfy their urgent needs. The media that bridged the gap was local commercial radio stations and social media.

Social media users (groups 1 and 2) not only obtained pinpoint local information in more detail than other net users, but also embraced “empathy,” “comfort,” and “sense of connectedness.” Those who do not use social media (group 2) did not fully utilize the Internet, and they were frustrated at not being able to retrieve necessary information effectively. Social media users in Fukushima (group 3) had to bear a psychological burden even after the lifeline resumed because a state of high tension continued due to the nuclear accident.

The 3/11 earthquake revealed an information divide between net-users and non-net-users as well as between those who can make good use of new types of information tool such as social media and those who cannot. Television is expected to help reduce the information gap by effectively pursuing collaboration with other media in a manner that each media can leverage its strength and promptly providing accurate and credible information.

The NHK Monthly Report on Broadcast Research