Abstract:

Natural disasters are unpredictable natural events without human intervention and can have devastating consequences. Disasters inherently have a chaotic process, making their management quite challenging. Effective communication with disaster victims and quick decision-making can help mitigate the negative outcomes of disasters. In today's world, social media, which is a powerful communication tool, is crucial in disaster management. However, social media platforms are inherently anonymous environments without specific control mechanisms. Every post written may not be accurate and, in some cases, may even be malicious. In this study, an analysis is conducted based on the posts made by accounts created after a disaster, specifically related to an earthquake. An evaluation is made on the reliability of accounts, a significant challenge in the use of social media in disaster management. It was observed that within the first 7 days after the Great Kahramanmaraş earthquake on February 6, 2023, 3,146 accounts were created, and these accounts made 6,724 earthquake-related posts. It was noted that 48% of accounts making 5 or more posts were suspended or closed by the platform. It has been observed that the accounts that are currently open have gained an average of 14 followers. Additionally, all accounts were found to have made posts in the categories of "Reaction/Condolence," "Request for Aid," and "Request for Rescue”.

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