Sending out an SOS: Signals from Conflict-Affected Audiences in the Digital Communication Landscape

Abstract

Crisis events can profoundly alter a person's relationship with technology that require product solutions to meet user challenges during these periods of upheaval. We used digital ethnography in two recent events, the internet shutdown and blocking of WhatsApp during the protests in Iran (2022) and the Kahramanmaras earthquake in Turkey (2023) to examine real-time community organization behaviors in technologically mediated settings in the context of conflict and disruption. In the case of the internet shutdown in Iran, we documented workarounds when access is blocked and when our app does not do the things people need it to do. In the case of the earthquake in Turkey, we learned how people share photos/videos and status updates for information sharing and raising awareness.