ABSTRACT
Widespread mis- and disinformation during the COVID-19 social media "infodemic" challenge the effective response of Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs). Conversational Agents (CAs) have the potential to amplify and distribute trustworthy information from EMAs to the general public in times of uncertainty. However, the structure and responsibilities of such EMAs are different in comparison to traditional commercial organizations. Consequently, Information Systems (IS) design approaches for CAs are not directly transferable to this different type of organization. Based on semi-structured interviews with practitioners from EMAs in Germany and Australia, twelve meta-requirements and five design principles for CAs for EMAs were developed. In contrast to the traditional view of CA design, social cues should be minimized. The study provides a basis to design robust CAs for EMAs.
ABSTRACT
This research project seeks to develop our understanding of the spread of influenza through social interactions, individual and group activities as well as through public attitudes towards official health responses as they occur on social media platforms. We propose to conduct a series of workshops to: 1) develop a deep understanding of current social media crisis communications practices during influenza outbreaks; and 2) to assist public health agencies and health professionals to manage these outbreaks by exploring new strategies, frameworks and approaches to the potential role and use of social media platforms. The research proposal and methods outlined in this paper describe a transformational approach that bridges the divide between academics, practitioners and the general public through engaged scholarship which involves all constituent groups equally in the design, execution and co-creation of the research themes, problem focus and proposed solutions.
