THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile Alert
On Saturday, 13 January 2018, residents of Hawaii received a chilling message through their smartphones. It read, in all caps, BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. The message was mistakenly sent, but many residents lived in a threatened state of m...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Social Media + Society |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305121999661 |
| _version_ | 1818443539930939392 |
|---|---|
| author | Rich Ling Brett Oppegaard |
| author_facet | Rich Ling Brett Oppegaard |
| author_sort | Rich Ling |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On Saturday, 13 January 2018, residents of Hawaii received a chilling message through their smartphones. It read, in all caps, BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. The message was mistakenly sent, but many residents lived in a threatened state of mind for the 38 minutes it took before a retraction was made. This study is based on a survey of 418 people who experienced the alert, recollecting their immediate responses, including how they attempted to verify the alert and how they used their mobile devices and social media for expressive interactions during the alert period. With the ongoing testing in the United States of nationwide Wireless Emergency Alerts, along with similar expansions of these systems in other countries, the event in Hawaii serves to illuminate how people understand and respond to mobile-based alerts. It shows the extreme speed that information—including misinformation—can flow in an emergency, and, for many, expressive communication affects people’s reactions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T19:01:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5b86784f4175492088ece249dc5a21e7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-3051 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T19:01:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Media + Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-5b86784f4175492088ece249dc5a21e72022-12-21T22:50:57ZengSAGE PublishingSocial Media + Society2056-30512021-03-01710.1177/2056305121999661THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile AlertRich Ling0Brett Oppegaard1Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeUniversity of Hawai’i at Manoa, USAOn Saturday, 13 January 2018, residents of Hawaii received a chilling message through their smartphones. It read, in all caps, BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. The message was mistakenly sent, but many residents lived in a threatened state of mind for the 38 minutes it took before a retraction was made. This study is based on a survey of 418 people who experienced the alert, recollecting their immediate responses, including how they attempted to verify the alert and how they used their mobile devices and social media for expressive interactions during the alert period. With the ongoing testing in the United States of nationwide Wireless Emergency Alerts, along with similar expansions of these systems in other countries, the event in Hawaii serves to illuminate how people understand and respond to mobile-based alerts. It shows the extreme speed that information—including misinformation—can flow in an emergency, and, for many, expressive communication affects people’s reactions.https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305121999661 |
| spellingShingle | Rich Ling Brett Oppegaard THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile Alert Social Media + Society |
| title | THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile Alert |
| title_full | THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile Alert |
| title_fullStr | THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile Alert |
| title_full_unstemmed | THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile Alert |
| title_short | THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Mobile Telephony, Information Verification, and Expressive Communication During Hawaii’s False Missile Alert |
| title_sort | this is not a drill mobile telephony information verification and expressive communication during hawaii s false missile alert |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305121999661 |
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