Abstract Emergent volunteer groups play a significant role during disasters. There is a rich literature on the role of volunteer groups in disasters and 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. This article argues that there is a need for understanding social media’s impact on disaster volunteerism. Using Harvey as a case, this article analyzes 74 Facebook groups that were created during the storm. The article compares the emergence and lifespan, structure, and function of online volunteer groups to those of volunteer groups before social media. Findings show important distinctions between online groups and those mentioned in the literature. First, online groups are easier to observe and analyze because of the digital traces they leave. Online groups emerge in different phases of disaster (response, early recovery) depending on people’s needs. Their structure can possess elements of hierarchy as opposed to structural characteristics of groups mentioned in the literature. 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. The article makes suggestions for future research.

中文翻译：

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社交媒体对灾难志愿服务的影响：来自飓风哈维的证据

摘要 应急志愿者团体在灾害中发挥着重要作用。关于志愿者团体在灾害和灾害志愿服务中的作用有丰富的文献。然而，过去十年社交媒体平台的迅速普及对人类生活产生了重大影响，灾害志愿服务也不例外。本文认为，有必要了解社交媒体对灾害志愿服务的影响。本文以哈维为例，分析了风暴期间创建的 74 个 Facebook 群组。文章将在线志愿者团体的出现和寿命、结构和功能与社交媒体之前的志愿者团体进行了比较。调查结果显示了在线群体与文献中提到的群体之间的重要区别。第一的，在线群组由于留下了数字痕迹，因此更易于观察和分析。根据人们的需要，在线团体出现在灾难的不同阶段（响应、早期恢复）。与文献中提到的群体的结构特征相反，它们的结构可以具有层次结构的元素。最后，在线群组主要用作信息共享中心；然而，它们也执行各种各样的功能，其中一些需要特别注意。文章对未来的研究提出了建议。在线群组主要用作信息共享中心；然而，它们也执行各种各样的功能，其中一些需要特别注意。文章对未来的研究提出了建议。在线群组主要用作信息共享中心；然而，它们也执行各种各样的功能，其中一些需要特别注意。文章对未来的研究提出了建议。