This chapter explores the use of social media in community-wide  emergencies, incidents, disasters, and disease outbreaks (EIDD). It shows that the global reach of social media is rapidly increasing, ironically spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to poverty and social media censorship in some countries, some vulnerable communities are excluded from social media uptake.

Social media have numerous uses that can support authorities in communicating and better understanding risk prevention and emergency responses. However, this value is tempered by the misinformation and fake news that are spread via social media, leading to distrust in them as credible news sources.

Social media also have benefits in forming social capital, which has been found to build resilience to crises. Further research is required in order to understand these relationships in specific communities and situations.

Research into applying social media in EIDD is growing and rapidly evolving with new social platforms and analytical technologies. However, there appears to be a disconnect between the research and practical training of emergency managers and health service providers in the full gamut of social media use.