COMMUNICATING AND SHARING DURING ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS
PUBLICATIONS
My research focuses on disaster communication, community resilience, and how communities construct communication infrastructure during crises. Publications listed here span peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and conference contributions. Current and forthcoming projects are on the Projects page.
PHD THESIS
Atkinson, S. (2026). Information intermediaries: How communities build disaster communication infrastructure from the ground up. University of Canberra. https://doi.org/10.26191/xrsk-3734
This PhD thesis examines how communities actively construct their own communication infrastructure during disasters — challenging the assumption that communication flows from authorities to passive community recipients. Drawing on 19 in-depth interviews across the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires and the 2022 Brisbane and Northern Rivers floods, the thesis introduces the concept of information intermediaries and a three-pillar framework for understanding community-constructed disaster communication systems.
For a plain-language overview of the research and its findings, visit the Research page.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Park, S., Fulton, J., Cunningham, S., Holland, K., McCallum, K., & Atkinson, S. (2026). Emergency broadcasting during extreme climate events: Social media as part of a disaster communication ecology. Australian Journalism Review, 48(1).
Examines how social media functions as part of a broader disaster communication ecology during extreme climate events, exploring the relationship between emergency broadcasting and community-led digital communication.
Atkinson, S. (2023). How does information really flow in communities during a natural disaster? Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 38(4). [link]
Challenges the assumption that emergency services are the primary information source during disasters. Research shows that many people rely on family, friends, and local community groups — with significant implications for how the emergency management sector communicates and connects with communities.
Atkinson, S., & Lee, J.Y. (2023). Social media: Connecting and sharing in a bushfire crisis. Media International Australia. [link]
Examines how people engage with official social media content during bushfires, finding that two Australian emergency services agencies had markedly different approaches — with equally different results in how communities responded and engaged.
Atkinson, S., Kim, C., & Lee, J. (2021). Facebook as an official communication channel in a crisis. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 36(5). [link]
Analyses over 600 Facebook posts from two emergency services agencies during the Orroral Valley bushfire, finding significant differences in communication approach and offering practical suggestions for connecting more effectively with communities during crises.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Park, S., Atkinson, S., Fulton, J., Wong-Parodi, G., & Mani, L. (2024). Communicating in crisis: Community practices of online participation during extreme events. In D. Del Favero, S. Thurow, M.J. Ostwald, & U. Frohne (Eds.), Climate disaster preparedness: Arts, research, innovation and society. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-56114-6_15
Surveys research into how community members use digital platforms — including social media and messaging apps — before, during, and after extreme events. Examines both the informational and emotional dimensions of digital communication during crises, and identifies gaps in current understanding of how social media supports community preparedness.
CONFERENCE PAPERS
Atkinson, S. (2025). Building community communication networks during disasters: Lessons from recent bushfires and floods. In AFAC25 Conference Proceedings. AFAC. [link]
Presents findings from PhD research on how communities construct their own communication networks during disasters, drawing on experiences from the Black Summer bushfires and 2022 floods to offer practical lessons for emergency management.