Twitter Shut Down Due To Earthquake In Turkey, access to Twitter appears to have been restored about 12 hours after the original ban. Twitter is a microblogging platform that allows users to share short snippets of text, audio, and video, as well as post threads in conversations. Almost immediately after the main tremor, thousands of eyewitnesses posted videos and photos on social media, particularly Twitter. These early eyewitness accounts are invaluable in helping rescue workers and investigators assess the extent of the damage and tailor assistance to local needs.

The Twitter outage, believed to be the result of government action, appears to have hampered relief and humanitarian efforts. NetBlocks found that ISPs block traffic to Twitter and people can get around the block with a virtual private network or VPN. Officials in many countries regularly block access to social media and the internet to limit the flow of information. Turkey is one of the countries with a long history of internet censorship.

Twitter is an important communication platform that has been utilized in many countries during natural disasters and emergencies, including Turkey. During these times, it provides a quick and efficient way to share information, coordinate relief efforts, and communicate with those in need.

The decision to cutoff Twitter in Turkey during earthquake rescue operations is concerning for several reasons. Firstly, it limits the ability of individuals and organizations to quickly disseminate critical information and updates to those affected by the disaster. This can have serious consequences in terms of rescue and relief efforts.

Secondly, Twitter can be an important tool for coordinating rescue efforts and ensuring that resources are directed to the areas of greatest need. When communication channels are cut off, it can create confusion and delay in response times, potentially resulting in more damage and loss of life.

Finally, Twitter can also serve as a means of emotional support during times of disaster. People can share their experiences and connect with others who are going through similar challenges. This can provide a sense of community and solidarity, which can be particularly important in the aftermath of a traumatic event.

In summary, cutting off Twitter during a disaster can have serious consequences for both the immediate response and long-term recovery efforts. It is important that governments and other authorities recognize the vital role that social media platforms can play in disaster response and take steps to ensure that they remain accessible in times of crisis.

Twitter’s role in disaster relief

Twitter has been used extensively in previous natural disasters. A 2013 report by the US Department of Homeland Security reports that social media played a major role in the disasters. Twitter, in particular, is an important source of real-time eyewitness data that allows humanitarian workers to interact with impacted communities. A recent study examined the 375 million tweets on Twitter in one day (September 21, 2022) and found that the service allows governments to provide emergency information to citizens for help and information.

This type of communication and response coordination has been helpful in many situations, from a water pollution crisis in West Virginia to a hurricane evacuation in Florida. Humanitarian and disaster relief efforts require real-time monitoring, almost immediately after a disaster occurs. By combining Twitter feeds with geolocation data and mapping the information extracted, you can visualize the evolution of the crisis.

Responders can track the location of damage, casualties and assets to determine the best way to direct relief efforts. This type of data also helps researchers in fields like transportation better understand evacuation dynamics. A temporal analysis of tweets during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 shows that researchers can use Twitter data to quantify hurricane intensity in real time.

Such analysis of destruction and flooding images shared via social media helps account managers. Losing access to Twitter due to government blockades, financial hurdles in Twitter’s programming interface, or Twitter outages like yesterday’s global outage will make this strong constrain – updated information on disaster relief as events unfold. It also hampers the ability to learn from the past and prepare for future emergencies.