Google's Crisis Response Page

            When national disasters occur that impact the lives of millions of people, it is instinctive to observe the reactions from our families, our peers, our news stations, our President, and our world as a whole in order to form an opinion or gain awareness about the disaster. As the crisis in Japan continues to escalate following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, many people have offered their reactions and help to those suffering from this disaster. Like most people upon hearing a disaster of this nature, I turned to Google to type in “Earthquake in Japan” into the search bar to gain information about what was happening across the world. Before I even pressed “search”, something caught my eye that was more appealing than the countless articles offering the author’s two cents that would have appeared on the second page. Under the Google search bar was a sentence exclaiming that an earthquake had struck Japan and that more information would be available by following the link to the Google Crisis Response page. I assume that for most people, Google is habitually used as a catalyst for obtaining the latest information about a catastrophic current event. Never have I used Google itself as a source for obtaining such information. I followed the link to check out Google’s awareness efforts. What I found was an abundance of logos, ethos, and pathos splashed across their headlines.

            As an appeal to logos, Google used (and is still using) the most up-to-date statistics on the magnitude of the earthquake, the death toll, the number of missing people, and more. Like any source reporting a natural disaster, statistical use is necessary and crucial to raise awareness about the destruction the natural disaster has caused. Thus, I was not particularly surprised by their abundance of statistics. However, what really shocked me about Google’s Response page was their ethos. Google’s page efficiently allows people to do what they can to help. Google provides telephone numbers to consult about missing people, designates spaces for people to offer donations, and displays other resourceful information such as shelter residents, radiation and health information, transportation statuses, and Japanese translations of their Crisis Response page. You can also access their “person finder” to help with those suffering from missed family or friends in Japan. Google really outdid it this time. By allowing people to easily and effectively engage in relief efforts, the credibility I had already given Google has soared. Finally, Google uses pictures of the disaster and emotional responses as an appeal to pathos and to allow for people to grasp the extent of the disaster and thus subsequently offer their help through donations and the like. By using appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos, Google uses rhetoric to effectively relay the situational crisis facing Japan and to help people gain awareness in an effort to offer support to those suffering. To say the least, I applaud Google for their efforts!

Check out Google’s Crisis Response Page:

http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html