However, relatively little attention was paid to how social media shaped the ways volunteer groups emerge, organize, and function. In public administration and public policy fields, there has been an interest in how government agencies use social media for communicating with individuals ( Neely and Collins 2018 Wukich 2020). The literature on social media use has bourgeoned within the last decade ( Demiroz 2020). The adoption of technology inevitably has expanded the ways volunteer groups emerge, organize, and function ( Page-Tan 2020). Social media platforms have become critical for communication between individuals and between people and government agencies during disasters ( Aldrich and 7 Paton and Irons 2016 Pogrebnyakov and Maldonado 2018 Sharpe and Bennett 2018). However, with the proliferation of information communication technologies (ICT) in the last two decades, the nature of volunteerism has evolved rapidly. Characteristics of emergent volunteer groups and their contributions to disaster management are well documented by scholars ( Drabek and McEntire 2003 Quarantelli 1995 Stallings and Quarantelli 1985). When local officials fall short of addressing citizens’ needs, volunteer groups step in to fill the gap ( Lowe and Fothergill 2003 McLennan, Whittaker, and Handmer 2016). The article makes suggestions for future research.Įmergent volunteer groups play a significant role during disasters. Finally, online groups mostly function as information sharing hubs however, they also carry out a wide variety of functions, some of which request special attention. Their structure can possess elements of hierarchy as opposed to structural characteristics of groups mentioned in the literature. Online groups emerge in different phases of disaster (response, early recovery) depending on people’s needs. First, online groups are easier to observe and analyze because of the digital traces they leave. Findings show important distinctions between online groups and those mentioned in the literature. The article compares the emergence and lifespan, structure, and function of online volunteer groups to those of volunteer groups before social media. Using Harvey as a case, this article analyzes 74 Facebook groups that were created during the storm. This article argues that there is a need for understanding social media’s impact on disaster volunteerism. However, the rapid proliferation of social media platforms in the last decade made a significant impact on human lives, and disaster volunteerism is no exception. There is a rich literature on the role of volunteer groups in disasters and disaster volunteerism. Emergent volunteer groups play a significant role during disasters.
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