The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the communication strategies used by the information volunteers of Jalin Merapi during the Mt. Merapi disaster in Indonesia 2010.
In all, 18 information volunteers are interviewed to find out about their strategies in organising crisis communication, and follow-up interviews are conducted with several donors and media professionals to understand the wider context. The questions cover how the information is sourced, published and verified and the reasons behind their decisions. The concept of mediated suffering helps to analyse how their strategies construct with whom, with what subject and how the media users engage with the survivors.
This study finds that information volunteers of Jalin Merapi focused on the overlooked survivors and issues of Mt. Merapi disaster based on their observation of the mainstream media’s coverage of the previous disaster in 2006. The needs of the refugees, rather than the availability of donor’s aid, were foregrounded to encourage the wider public to donate. And access to connect directly with the survivors was provided to enhance the efficacy of aid and to facilitate repeat donations.
Further empirical studies in other disaster contexts are called for to assess whether similar or different strategies are used in participatory crisis communication.
This study presents a rare case of participatory crisis communication in a disaster. The perspective of the media audience helps situate the findings in the context of the wider media environment and in the context of collective action as often seen in response to disaster.
