Bridging authority and citizens: An integrated framework of social-mediated disaster communication

This study examines how disaster communication is shaped by informal media actors, including social media influencers and entertainment-oriented community fan pages. Focusing on Typhoon Yagi in 2024, it analyses Facebook posts and comments to understand how official messages are reproduced, adapted and emotionally reframed online. The article applies Rhetorical Arena Theory and Narrative Transportation Theory to explore how different actors contribute to disaster discourse on social media.

Qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative regression are used to understand how informal media actors (influencers, entertainment-oriented community fan pages) reproduce, extend, and emotionally reframe official messages. The results show that government agencies and the press play the role of “information legitimizers” while community fan pages and influencers function as new “intermediary actors” that reshape disaster discourse through intimate, humorous, or emotional storytelling. The study demonstrates the co-creation of discourse between citizens and governments and proposes a multi-layered model of disaster communication on social media. The study highlights the need for authorities to better understand and engage with these actors as part of more inclusive, multi-layered disaster communication strategies.