Emergency online attention and psychological distance under risk

Abstract

Risk communication is an effective means of emergency management. Online information plays an important role in risk communication, especially in the Big Data Era. Citizens' psychology to send and receive information determines their online behavior when they face risk. Using the Tianjin Port Explosions as an example, multiple linear regression analysis is used to untangle the relationship between online attention and psychology behavior under risk. Citizens' online attention is estimated by social media data collection from the Sina Weibo. Psychology behavior is quantified by psychological distance which consists of four dimensions: spatial distance, temporal distance, social distance and probability. The regression model is built via SPSS 20.0 and the obtained result is matched with actual situation. It indicates that online attention is negatively correlated to spatial distance, temporal distance and social distance while positively correlated to probability of the event. It also shows that citizens' online attention under risk is positively correlated to their online attention under normal circumstance. Based on the regression model, citizens' attention and response to emergency are easy to be assessed.