This research develops a model of mobile social network dispersion in rescue communication, and illustrates how people use a combination of mobile and social media, along with real-time communication, in their decision-making process. Guided by established research on smartphones, social media, and affordances, we used a qualitative approach and conducted field interviews that included photo-elicitation interview (PEI) techniques to examine participants’ private social media data. Our analysis of these rescue decisions reveals why so few people used the official 9-1-1 system. We show how rescue communication often occurs through a socially constructed assessment of risk that involves persuasion by trusted others in their network, regardless of professional qualifications. Furthermore, trusted others can function as proxies and can draw upon mobile social network affordances, helping to compensate for material limitations. The affordances people drew from can be organized into two sets: foundational and amplification. Hierarchical relationships exist among these sets of affordances, and materiality plays a pivotal role in rescue communication. Ultimately, our analysis uncovers the multimodality around people’s decisions to ask for help.

中文翻译：

---

给我一条生命线：阐明移动社交网络的分散性和救援沟通中风险的社会建构

本研究开发了救援通信中移动社交网络分散的模型，并说明了人们如何在决策过程中结合使用移动和社交媒体以及实时通信。在对智能手机、社交媒体和可供性的既定研究的指导下，我们使用定性方法并进行了实地访谈，其中包括照片引出访谈 (PEI) 技术来检查参与者的私人社交媒体数据。我们对这些救援决定的分析揭示了为什么很少有人使用官方的 9-1-1 系统。我们展示了救援沟通是如何通过社会构建的风险评估来进行的，该评估涉及网络中可信赖的其他人的说服，而不管其专业资格如何。此外，受信任的其他人可以充当代理，并可以利用移动社交网络的可供性，帮助弥补物质限制。人们从中汲取的启示可以分为两组：基础的和放大的。这些可供性组之间存在等级关系，物质性在救援交流中起着关键作用。最终，我们的分析揭示了人们寻求帮助决定的多模态。