Understanding Public Engagement on Twitter Using Topic Modeling: the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Case

Twitter is often used to disseminate information during disasters. This study collected and analyzed tweets related to the July 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake in Southern California from selected organizations (e.g., governmental agencies, media companies, nonprofit organizations, and research groups). The topic modeling technique found both similar and different topics for those organizations. Regression analysis showed that topics from media outlets and “others” (Twitter users not included in the selected organizations) positively related to the number of retweets and favorites. These findings contribute to the methodological development of Twitter research and social media use for disaster management.