Information through virtual social networks

Abstract

In this work, we attempt to reveal the challenges in communication between different actors in a neighborhood of the city of Santa Fe (Argentina), crossed by a complex risk-territory scheme. This paper is framed in the UNL funded Oriented Research Project, which goal is to promote and organize the thoughtful capture of information, related to water risk, in virtual social networks made up of voluntary citizens of the city of Santa Fe. From this perspective, experiments were carried out with networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp, with groups of volunteers representatives of the local government, study neighborhood and teachers participating in the project. After a year of experimentation, attempts are made to learn about the citizens issues such as the selection of a place to live, the problems they identify in the neighborhood, their relationship with communicating in social networks and their helpfulness to communicate problems related to water risk. The results aim to recognize the importance and potential of social networks considering a communicational process, aimed at reducing the risk of disasters in the event of water-based phenomena, which when deepened would contribute to the reduction of damage. This process of using citizen science through social networks as a risk management tool, is a journey of learning from both the "scientists" and the "participants".