Social media, transport chaos and a volcanic ash cloud

The eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland caused the spread of an ash plume across Europe, leading to widespread closure of European air space, affecting passengers across the globe. This paper explores the use of social media by members of the public to respond to the transportation chaos. By making use of illustrations, this paper provides evidence to show how social media influences the emergence of social capital, in the form of information potential, during a disaster situation. Furthermore the paper seeks to highlight both the positive and negative impacts of the public’s use of social media at this time. This paper is not the result of a full empirical study; rather it is a starting point to highlight how some people are turning to digital technology to respond to adversity, by doing so this paper aims to encourage researchers to conduct further research into this field.