Congratulations to Dr. Keri Stephens for receiving the 2020 Outstanding Edited Book Award by the National Communication Association, Organizational Communication Division, for her book New Media in Times of Crisis. This honor is well deserved. The book is exceptional, and we highly recommend you check it out.  The creation of this book was funded by the Moody College of Communication, so Dr. Stephens wants to thank them for supporting travel efforts that allowed all the authors to meet to co-design the structure of this book.  

For those of you wondering what an edited book is, don’t worry. I didn’t know what it was either. An edited book is a book where someone comes up with the idea and topics to be covered and then invites others to join them in writing chapters. Then the editor compiles and edits the submitted chapters from the authors to make a cohesive book. Dr. Stephens invited other experts with diverse academic disciplinary approaches to examine the role of technology in organizing processes, especially in contexts of crisis, disaster, and health.

When writing New Media in Times of Crisis the authors focused on three main things that are increasingly relevant given we live in such uncertain times. The first being the explanation of new media and how it has changed how we can organize in times of crisis. For example, one chapter explores how people use Twitter and another discusses Wireless Emergency Alerts  to relay information during natural disasters. Second, Dr. Stephens and her team wanted to make sure the book was as interdisciplinary as possible, so the book has chapters written by people with diverse knowledge and scholarly backgrounds. For example, there are authors involved in communication and technology, civil/architectural/ environmental engineering, information technology and cybersecurity, journalism and strategic media, advertising and public relations, systems engineering, health communication, communication studies, and organizational communication. By combining these diverse perspectives they were able to gain a much richer understanding of organizing during times of crisis. Lastly, they focused on hearing and sharing the voices of crisis responders. The book includes a chapter co-written by a former Director of Internal and Campus Safety Communications and Public Information Officer and an academic. 

This book invites readers to think about the future and the need for collaboration and teamwork to be able to address the growing issues around disasters and crises. Given the challenges we face as a community and the world right now, New Media in Times of Crisis is a must read. We are so proud of Dr. Keri Stephens and the amazing work she has done! Check out the video below to learn more. 

New Media in Times of Crisis