When the U.S. Department of Homeland Security doled out an initiative to alert the public of terror threats via Facebook and Twitter, many were relieved to see the outdated, unexplainable system go.
Gone is the five-color coded ranking, which ranged from green to red but which hadn’t changed from yellow since 2006. In its place is a two-level threat: elevated and imminent. The alerts also now come with an expiration date, ranging from seven to 30 days, respectively. The announcements would be made public after law enforcement and government agencies were alerted of a possible threat.
“The plan is not yet final, as we will continue to meet and exercise with our partners to finalize a plan that meets everyone’s needs,” said Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa about the new system.
And while it isn’t written in stone, the question is will it be effective? Some users say they don’t use social media to get their news, rather that it only serves as a means to connect with their personal networks.
“I would not look for government communication in that channel,” said Mark Cody, 42, who works in education.
“I think it’s best, especially the way Facebook is functioning in the world today, that it not be part of the government in any way,” Cody said. “If the government had its hands and eyes in there, it would diminish the value of that channel and I would flee. That’s not a page that I would like.”
Similarly, 20-year-old student Taylor Culbertson said he would continue to go to other sites to get his news and keep social media for social purposes to avoid missing important messages.
“One of the biggest issues with Twitter is that a lot of stuff just gets lost,” Culbertson said. “How much do you just glance over [news] because it’s on Twitter?”
But Alex Becker, an Internet marketing expert, thinks differently.
“It’s arguable that people spend more time on social media sites rather than news sites,” Becker said. “If your friends are posting news through their social media, it’s more authentic,” he said.
Still, he said, social media should serve as just one of many means to inform the public.
“The best way to get people more engaged with national security issues is to hit them from every medium: print, press, TV, radio, Internet, in-person meetings and so on,” Becker said.
If you “like” the National Terrorism Advisory System page on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (@NTASAlerts) you could be the first to know when a new threat has been issued. Though both pages are active and in effect as of this week, they are so far without content.
To date, the Twitter account has more than 5,300 followers, beating the Facebook page, which has more than 3,500 “likes.” Both simply serve to announce an alert and advise the public to view complete threats on the DHS website.
The system is meant to help the public better understand these threats, after a task force created by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano found the color coded system – often the butt of jokes – to be ineffective. Napolitano announced in January it would be phased out.
It is unclear how often these announcements will be made because the government struggles with how much information it should and can share regarding national security.
Using social media for the first time, however, is one way the department is attempting to engage the public to be on the lookout of their surroundings.
via ABCNews:
For example, if there is a specific threat that terrorists are looking to hide explosives in backpacks around U.S. airports, the government might issue a public warning that would be announced in airports telling travelers to be extra vigilant and report any unattended backpacks or other suspicious activity.
NTAS “recognizes that Americans all share responsibility for the nation’s security and should always be aware of the heightened risk of terrorist attack in the United States and what they should do,” the Facebook page says.
Becker said this new form of communication will attract more people in a different way.
“With the popularity of mobile now, people are always checking their social media sites on their cell phones,” he said. “They’re definitely checking Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites more often than they’re checking news sites.”
