Is Social Media The New Emergency Service? [INFOGRAPHIC]

While you’re undoubtedly get better results by phoning the proper authorities if you find yourself right in the thick of a serious situation, this new infographic from the American Red Cross suggests that people are increasingly turning to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook for updates and help during emergency situations.

Key takeaways from the survey:

• Followed by television and local radio, the internet is the third most popular way for people to gather emergency information with 18 percent of both the general and the online population specifically using Facebook for that purpose
• Nearly a fourth (24 percent) of the general population and a third (31 percent) of the online population would use social media to let loved ones know they are safe
• Four of five (80 percent) of the general and 69 percent of the online populations surveyed believe that national emergency...