Digital age raises new challenges in crises

The global reach of electronic technologies creates a new “fragility and brittleness” for institutions of power in times of major, unexpected crises, according to a study published today by Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ).

TV news presenter and Visiting Fellow at the RISJ Nik Gowing describes his findings in “Skyful of Lies and Black Swans.”

Gowing’s study examines the policy impact of the “fast proliferating and ubiquitous breed of ‘information-doers.’ ” He finds the unprecedented mass ability to record dramatic, unfolding events on cheap, lightweight technologies is defining a new, broader, almost infinite media matrix. That matrix can catch institutions of power off guard in a crisis, leaving them open to accusations and the appearance of failure, he says.

“This global electronic reach catches institutions unaware,” Gowings writes in his study. “Technological changes are redefining, broadening and fragmenting the media landscape in dramatic ways … Even in the most remote and hostile location, hundreds of millions of electronic eyes and ears are creating a capacity for scrutiny and new demands for accountability. It is way beyond the assumed power and influence of the traditional media.”

The two-year study draws on candid revelations by politicians, officials and corporate executives during extensive interviews. It analyses examples where the public positions of institutions have been undermined by the new “information doer” matrix of social media. These include major crises involving NATO and the US military in Afghanistan, the British military in Iraq, and the Metropolitan Police over the handling of the 7/7 bombings and shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

A key finding is that real-time information flows in a crisis produce real-time insight into a developing crisis, which is far more rapid and comprehensive than the institutions of power are primed to embrace or respond to.

“The new real-time media realities are harsh,” Gowings says. “But once understood, embraced and acted upon the proposed solutions are compelling. They represent a path to institutional effectiveness and credibility when these are currently lacking.”