Citizens' Initiatives for Crisis Management and the Use of Social Media: An Analysis of COVID-19 Crisis in Bangladesh

This study analyses different social media-based citizens' initiatives taken during the COVID-19 crisis in Bangladesh. By applying netnography on various Facebook groups, the study finds that people are trying to address the crisis by using social media. The groups provided different crucial support to general people, such as connecting people to get blood and plasma and delivering medical necessities (e.g., supplying oxygen at home). The study also finds that different factors such as the development of trust, opportunities for digital transactions, the existence of dedicated moderators, and an easily available platform (Facebook) to connect people contribute to increasing the effectiveness of those groups.