A Longitudinal Investigation of Technological Affordances for Humanitarian Organizing

• In Event: Top Four Faculty Papers in Communication and Technology

Abstract

This study employs an ecological and evolutionary perspective, coupled with an affordance approach, to investigate the dynamic processes of humanitarian response networks online and on the ground, using Typhoon Haiyan as a triggering event in the evolution of networks. Analysis of 70 organizations’ Twitter ad Facebook data from one month before to three months after the typhoon revealed different network mechanisms and the corresponding evolutionary patterns. Specifically, the networks constructed based on Twitter’s features of mentions and retweets were similar to each other while the networks built on Twitter’s replies and Facebook’s tags resembled one another. Overall, the four types of networks were rooted in earlier relationships, yet after temporarily disrupted by the typhoon, these networks were able to be restructured in a dynamic way. In contrast, the interorganizational collaboration on the ground exhibited a consistent and stable pattern of evolution where the relationships in consecutive phases positively influenced one another. Addressing the theoretical and empirical gaps in understanding the emergence and evolution of technological affordances for organizing, findings of this study shed light on the opportunities and constraints in enabling sustainable digital humanitarian organizing.

Authors

• Chih-Hui Lai, Nanyang Technological University

• Xinyue Ye, Kent State U

• Bing She, Wuhan U

• Chen-Chao Tao, National Chiao Tung U