Patrick Meier, PhD
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Patrick is an internationally recognized expert and consultant on humanitarian technology and innovation. Book: Digital Humanitarians. Previously: UN, World Bank, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Ushahidi. PhD from Fletcher School, Pre-Doctoral Fellow at Stanford and MA at Columbia. Born & raised in Africa.
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Search Results for: social capital
Social Media Generates Social Capital: Implications for City Resilience and Disaster Response
A new empirical and peer-reviewed study provides “the first evidence that online networks are able to produce social capital. In the case of bonding social capital, online ties are more effective in forming close networks than theory predicts.” Entitled, “Tweeting Alone? An … Continue reading
Posted in Disaster Resilience, Social Computing, Social Media
Tagged Capital, Cities, Resilience, Rockefeller, social, Twitter
Why Digital Social Capital Matters for Disaster Resilience and Response
Recent empirical studies have clearly demonstrated the importance of offline social capital for disaster resilience and response. I’ve blogged about some of this analysis here and here. Social capital is typically described as those “features of social organizations, such as … Continue reading
Posted in Digital Activism, Disaster Resilience, Social Media
Tagged Capital, Digital, Disaster Resilience, social
Social Media = Social Capital = Disaster Resilience?
Do online social networks generate social capital, which, in turn, increases resilience to disasters? How might one answer this question? For example, could we analyze Twitter data to capture levels of social capital in a given country? If so, do … Continue reading
Posted in Big Data, Disaster Resilience, Social Computing, Social Media
Tagged Capital, Disaster, Disaster Resilience, Networks, Reciprocity, social, Twitter
Does Social Capital Drive Disaster Resilience?
The link between social capital and disaster resilience is increasingly accepted. In “Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recover,” Daniel Aldrich draws on both qualitative and quantitative evidence to demonstrate that “social resources, at least as much as material ones, … Continue reading
Posted in Digital Activism, Disaster Resilience, Social Media
Tagged Capital, Disaster, Disaster Resilience, Networks, Recovery, Response, social
Social Media for Disaster Response – Done Right!
To say that Indonesia’s capital is prone to flooding would be an understatement. Well over 40% of Jakarta is at or below sea level. Add to this a rapidly growing population of over 10 million and you have a recipe for recurring disasters. Increasing … Continue reading
And the UAV/Drone Social Innovation Award Goes To?
The winner of the Drone Social Innovation Award has just been announced! The $10,000 prize is awarded to the most socially beneficial, documented use of a UAV platform that costs less than $3,000. The purpose of this award is to “spur innovation, investment, and attention to … Continue reading
Using Social Media to Predict Economic Activity in Cities
Economic indicators in most developing countries are often outdated. A new study suggests that social media may provide useful economic signals when traditional economic data is unavailable. In “Taking Brazil’s Pulse: Tracking Growing Urban Economies from Online Attention” (PDF), the authors … Continue reading
Posted in Big Data, Crowdsourcing, Social Computing, Social Media
Tagged Brazil, Economy, Statistics, Trends
Social Media: The First 2,000 Years
What do Papyrus rolls and Twitter have in common? Both were used as a means of “instant” communication. Indeed, a careful reading of history reveals just how ancient social media really is. Further, the questions we pose about social media … Continue reading
Using Social Media to Predict Disaster Resilience (Updated)
Social media is used to monitor and predict all kinds of social, economic, political and health-related behaviors these days. Could social media also help identify more disaster resilient communities? Recent empirical research reveals that social capital is the most important driver of … Continue reading
Posted in Big Data, Disaster Resilience, Social Computing, Social Media
Tagged Disaster Resilience, Disasters, Twitter
Data Science for Social Good: Not Cognitive Surplus but Cognitive Mismatch
I’ve spent the past 12 months working with top notch data scientists at QCRI et al. The following may thus be biased: I think QCRI got it right. They strive to balance their commitment to positive social change with their … Continue reading
