ISO 22329:2021

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 22329
First edition
2021-11
Security and resilience — Emergency
management — Guidelines for the use
of social media in emergencies
Sécurité et résilience — Gestion des situations d'urgence — Lignes
directrices relatives à l'utilisation des réseaux sociaux dans les
situations d'urgence
Reference number
ISO 22329:2021(E)
© ISO 2021

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ISO 22329:2021(E)
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© ISO 2021
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ISO 22329:2021(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Understanding social media . 2
4.1 General . 2
4.2 Utilizing social media . 2
4.2.1 General . 2
4.2.2 Implementation . 2
4.2.3 Monitoring . 3
4.2.4 Dissemination . 4
4.2.5 Interaction. 4
5 Planning . 5
5.1 General . 5
5.2 Policies . 5
5.3 Risk . 5
5.4 Social media objectives . 5
5.5 Social media strategy . 6
5.6 Resources . 6
5.6.1 General . 6
5.6.2 Digital tool selection . 7
6 Implementation . . 7
6.1 General . 7
6.2 Monitoring . 7
6.3 Dissemination . . 8
6.3.1 General . 8
6.3.2 Guidance on specifying content . 8
6.4 Interaction . 9
6.5 Citizens’ guidance . 9
7 Review and improvement . 9
7.1 Review . 9
7.2 Continual improvement . 9
Annex A (informative) Types of social media platforms, channels and related tools .10
Annex B (informative) Quality assessment and verification of social media .11
Annex C (informative) Examples of using social media by emergency management
organizations .13
Annex D (informative) Citizens’ guidance .14
Bibliography .16
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ISO 22329:2021(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
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ISO 22329:2021(E)
Introduction
Having effective communication among organizations and with the public are important aspects of
emergency management. The emergence of social media, in addition to other media such as television,
radio, and newspapers, has provided more communication options and enhanced communication
capability, but it has also made communication more challenging.
It is important that organizations recognize their potential benefits and threats inherent when using
social media in their communication strategy, including crisis communication. Social media can improve
situational awareness and communication capability and help citizens support each other during an
emergency or crisis. Social media can also spread inaccurate information regarding an incident and
the response to an incident. Organizations that have the capability to monitor and use social media can
take advantage of the potential benefits and counteract the potential negative consequences that can
arise from social media.
This document provides guidance on how social media can be integrated into communication in
emergency management.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 22329:2021(E)
Security and resilience — Emergency management —
Guidelines for the use of social media in emergencies
1 Scope
This document gives guidance on the use of social media in emergency management. It gives guidance
on how organizations and the public can use, and interact through, social media before, during and
after an incident as well as how social media can support the work of emergency services.
This document is applicable to governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in
emergency management and crisis communication.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 22300, Security and resilience — Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 22300 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
social media
online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and
perspectives with each other, transforming traditional one-to-many interactions into many-to-many
interactions
3.2
inaccurate information
information that is false
Note 1 to entry: Inaccurate information may be spread purposefully or without purpose.
Note 2 to entry: The scientific term “misinformation” includes inaccurate information that is spread without
purpose.
3.3
purposefully misleading information
inaccurate information (3.2) that was distributed purposely or intentionally omitted information or
intentionally modified information
Note 1 to entry: The scientific term is “disinformation”.
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ISO 22329:2021(E)
4 Understanding social media
4.1 General
With increasing digitalization, a growing number of social media platforms and channels are available,
and the selection and popularity of these are continually changing. Social media is available worldwide
but access to some platforms and channels can be restricted in some countries. Some platforms and
channels focus on exchanging text messages, others focus on sharing photographs or videos, and some
permit the sharing of text, photos and videos. Many can include links to any content stored on the
internet.
There is a connection between social media and other media such as websites, newspapers, radio and
television. People also share news articles and information on social media.
Annex A provides types of social media channels, platforms and related tools.
The organization should:
— consider the role of social media in the context of its overall communications strategy, including
crisis communication, and how the social media strategy is implemented in the organization;
— understand that the extent to which information is shared depends on the application on which it
was shared and the privacy settings of the user who shared the content;
— understand that social media is operated by private companies, and it is governed by their own
terms of service or user agreement.
4.2 Utilizing social media
4.2.1 General
The exchange of information through social media will depend on the organization’s communication
strategy and whether the organization is operating before, during or after incidents or crises.
The organization should consider:
— how social media can improve the organization’s capability to manage incidents and crises;
— how social media can reduce the organization’s risks by considering risks that can potentially be
affected by ineffective communication;
— how fit-for-purpose the organization’s social media policies and procedures are to determine if
changes are required.
4.2.2 Implementation
The organization should:
— identify and obtain the appropriate tools necessary to implement the use of social media;
— supplement internal resources by using external resources as required;
— ensure that the resources are capable of performing their assigned responsibilities.
A natural progression for the use of social media is to monitor social media communications, then
disseminate information to support emergency management objectives. This is then followed by
interaction with social media users (public or private stakeholders) to answer questions and build trust
with the social media audience.
The organization should conduct a regular review of social media as part of its overall continual
improvement process.
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ISO 22329:2021(E)
4.2.3 Monitoring
4.2.3.1 Purpose
The organization should monitor the use of social media in order to:
— identify the social media platforms used by its audience;
— improve awareness of the environment in which it is operating;
— identify how it is perceived by the public and various stakeholders who can be impacted by its
operations and risks;
— identify current and emerging issues, including issues that require a response;
— identify influential users of social media and metadata tags that can relate to the organization;
— understand how citizens or stakeholders are using social media related to the organization;
— identify other emergency services or service providers with similar risks or emergency management
messaging, or both.
NOTE A metadata tag is a keyword used in social media that is assigned to a piece of information to facilitate
search. A hashtag is an example for a metadata tag.
4.2.3.2 Span of monitoring
The organization should:
— monitor topics, groups or individuals relevant to its objectives;
— determine the appropriate geographic span of monitoring, ranging from fairly narrow and restricted
to one community to worldwide monitoring;
— base the extent of the monitoring on the size, nature and impact of an incident.
4.2.3.3 The quality of information
The organization should assess the quality of information obtained from monitoring social media to
ensure it is of high quality. It should validate the information for accuracy and quality before using
the information for prevention and preparedness, especially for improved situation awareness during
response and recovery.
NOTE 1 Factors affecting quality include where and when the information originated, who created it and for
what reason. See Annex B for additional information.
The organization should monitor social media for information regarding the risks it presents to the
public and various stakeholders, and specific incidents and comments regarding the capability or
reputation of the organization.
The organization should:
— select appropriate digital tools for monitoring and analysing social media to improve monitoring
efficiency and effectiveness;
— use keywords and metadata tags appropriate for the information it wants to track to help with the
monitoring process;
— include all media in its overall monitoring, as well as the organization’s blogs and website on which
readers can comment;
— use social media to help correct inaccurate information or concerns identified on these platforms.
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NOTE 2 Additional information on understanding the use of social media during the different phases of
emergency management is included in Annex C. There are tools and services available that can monitor multiple
networks and channels (see Annex A).
4.2.3.4 Monitoring during response and recovery
The amount or intensity of social media communication can be significantly greater during the response
and recovery phases, with the response phase likely to be the greatest as resource requirements can
quickly exceed the resources available within the organization.
The organization should identify the external resources necessary to ensure that adequate monitoring
can be maintained. Additional resources can include emergency services, organizations with similar
interests that are willing to help and organizations that specialize in providing social media services.
4.2.4 Dissemination
The organization should provide ongoing information to the public and various stakeholders.
Before an incident: by transmitting messages that focus on preventing or preparing for emergencies
and tips for effectively using social media during an incident.
When an incident or crisis has occurred: by transmitting information that focuses primarily on
responding to, and recovering from, a specific event. The organization should keep an accurate record
of the messages communicated, recording the platform, date, time, text and level of approval where
applicable.
Typical messages to the public and various stakeholders can include information on:
— preferred or official methods for reporting an incident and the consequences for not using these;
— platforms and channels available for reporting incidents or receiving information about emergencies;
— potential hazards such as forest fires during dry spells;
— tests of the alert system, alerts and expected actions to be taken, such as self-preparedness, and
avoidance of hazardous situations;
— where and when official updates will be posted;
— which organizations are responding to the incident and the role of each.
NOTE For organizations performing a public warning function, ISO 22322 gives guidance on how to
integrate public warnings with social media and on timely decision-making to take place between monitoring
and dissemination.
4.2.5 Interaction
The organization should interact with social media users in a timely manner, as social media users
expect a faster response to comments or questions posted online than from a request sent via email.
This enables the organization to build and maintain relationships and trust with the public, before,
during and after an incident or a crisis.
The organization should interact with social media users by:
— answering questions about risks and how the public can prepare for, respond to incidents;
— answering questions about how the public can assist (e.g. donation management, volunteering);
— requesting and gathering information to assess the public’s level of preparedness, awareness of
emergency procedures, willingness to help and ability to improve situational awareness;
— providing guidance for sharing relevant information;
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ISO 22329:2021(E)
— guiding the public on appropriate social media behaviour;
— correcting inaccurate information by providing clarification;
— ignoring inappropriate comments by predefined criteria.
5 Planning
5.1 General
The organization should:
— consider the implications of regulations, its own policies, potential benefits and threats when
planning its use of social media;
— develop its social media objectives and strategy;
— provide sufficient resources for implementation.
5.2 Policies
The organization should ensure its policies are adequate to support the use of social media.
5.3 Risk
The organization should:
— consider the risk of using and not using social media to support emergency management;
— develop strategies and objectives to address these risks;
— minimize risk by providing adequate financial support and trained human resources to develop and
maintain capability to use social media, especially during an emergency or crisis situation;
— identify how social media information will be assessed and verified to ensure adequate quality for
its intended use;
— develop procedures to prevent the posting of confidential or inappropriate information;
— develop procedures on how to address inaccurate information and especially purposefully
misleading information posted on social media;
— manage the expectations of the public and stakeholders regarding the use of social media for
reporting emergencies, responding to social media posts and the use of social media to remain
informed.
NOTE Guidance on risk management is given in ISO 31000.
5.4 Social media objectives
The organization should support its emergency management by aligning its social media policy with its
communication objectives by considering:
— strategies to improve situational awareness and increase efficiency through improved information
flow;
— duties to inform citizens and to improve trust and its relationship with the public and various
stakeholders;
— ways to provide first-hand information using its own social media platforms and channels;
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ISO 22329:2021(E)
— the need to increase control over a situation using an additional direct channel;
— its standard operating procedures for managing social media engagement;
— the need to identify appropriate external resources and to enhance awareness of, and alignment
with, cooperating organizations.
NOTE Improving interaction with the public and various stakeholders includes: the ability to execute
immediate action using direct channels; providing clear and timely information; being present where the public
and various stakeholders look for information; establishing the organization as a trusted source of information;
and establishing communication with external stakeholders.
5.5 Social media strategy
The organization should identify how the use of social media supports its overall communication
strategy. The strategy should address:
— how to inform employees about the organization’s social media strategy and responsibilities for
managing social media;
— training for personnel to fulfil assigned responsibilities regarding the use of social media technology;
— short- or long-term objectives on the use of social media for monitoring, dissemination and
interaction;
— the identification of target audiences;
— the types of messages to be delivered and the relationships to be built or strengthened with target
audiences to support all phases of an incident or crisis;
— the responsibilities for timely monitoring and disseminating messages and interacting with social
media users on selected social media channels;
— how external contract personnel or volunteers who provides virtual support to emergency
management using social media may be involved.
NOTE These contract personnel are sometimes called “virtual operations support teams (VOST)”.
The social media objectives and strategy demonstrate how the uses of social media can support
operational decision-making.
The organization should consider how to:
— enhance situational awareness;
— improve the quality of dialogue between citizens and authorities;
— disseminate warnings in a timely manner;
— evaluate emergency management activities through feedback from citizens;
— identify, evaluate and manage volunteer support opportunities;
— support development and operation of self-help-communities during an emergency.
5.6 Resources
5.6.1 General
The organization should provide adequate internal and external resources to develop and maintain
capability to use social media, especially during an emergency or crisis. Resources include:
— personnel capable of performing assigned duties;
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ISO 22329:2021(E)
— agreements for resources with other organizations;
— software and hardware for monitoring, dissemination and interaction.
5.6.2 Digital tool selection
The organization should select appropriate digital tools and methods for monitoring, dissemination
and interaction, recognizing the fast evolution of tools in social media. When selecting tools, the
organization should consider the following criteria:
— social media platforms and channels being used;
— volume of social media activity;
— diversity of the audience considering language, accessibility and geographic location;
— resources to support;
— overall workload, for example, when more than one emergency occurs at the same time;
— size, type and duration of the emergencies, including those managed in cooperation with other
organizations or alone;
— filtering and organizing information for specific purposes;
— technical constraints of the infrastructure of digital tools;
— tools that support the networks and channels;
— compatibility with the digital tools used by cooperating organizations.
NOTE See Annex B for an explanation on filtering and assessing information.
6 Implementation
6.1 General
The organization should use its social media objectives and strategy to implement its use of social
media.
6.2 Monitoring
To improve situational awareness, the organization should monitor social media as appropriate for the
organization and the incident. It should consider monitoring:
— the social media channels used during emergencies;
— information included in other media;
— the specified geographic area impacted;
— who are the influential users;
— any issues that require a response;
— inaccurate and purposely misleading inf
...