WhatsApp as Communication Infrastructure in Volunteer-Based EMS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59297/t6d4jn58

Keywords:

Volunteers, Medical emergency response, First responders, Messaging platforms

Abstract

Recent geopolitical developments have renewed attention to the need for scalable emergency medical systems capable of operating under conditions of heightened risk. In this work-in-progress paper, we examine how WhatsApp functions as a communication infrastructure in volunteer–professional emergency medical collaboration. Drawing on qualitative interviews and screenshot elicitation across five community sites, we analyze how messaging practices and digital affordances support mobilization, coordination, and situational awareness. The findings indicate that WhatsApp’s interactivity and scalability complement formal dispatch systems by enabling real-time manpower governance, peer-to-peer coordination, and adaptive response calibration. Beyond operational coordination, messaging practices and WhatsApp’s multimediality also support post-incident closure and collective sense-making. The study further shows how communication infrastructures operate in a layered configuration alongside dispatch applications, radio systems, and phone calls, what practitioners describe as a “triangle of technology.” Finally, professional and volunteer roles appear operationally intertwined, particularly within a security-embedded context where medical and security considerations coexist.

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Author Biographies

  • Daphna Yeshua-Katz, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

    I am a senior lecturer at the Spitzer Department of Social Work at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. My work focuses on a central question: how do people cope with life’s most challenging experiences through digital media?

    My academic journey began at the University of Amsterdam, where I completed my MA in Communication Science, and continued with a PhD at Indiana University in the United States. Early on, I became interested in the tension between deeply personal experiences—such as stigma, illness, and loss—and the possibilities that digital platforms create for connection, support, and meaning.

    In my research, I focus on online support communities and everyday uses of technologies such as WhatsApp and social media. I study how people—including those facing health-related stigma, veterans with PTSD, surrogate mothers, and families living in conflict zones—use digital spaces to share experiences, seek support, and build personal and collective resilience.

    Methodologically, I draw on both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including digital ethnography, in-depth interviews, and content analysis, to better understand the human experiences behind digital interactions.

    Alongside my research, I teach courses on digital coping, social relationships in the digital age, and academic writing. For me, teaching is an opportunity to connect theory with everyday life and to encourage students to think critically about the digital environments they inhabit.

    Ultimately, I see my work as not only theoretical, but also practical—aimed at understanding how digital environments can be designed to better support people, especially in moments when they need it most.

  • Jonas Landgren, University of Gothenburg

    Jonas Landgren is an associate professor at the department of Applied Information Technology at the University of Gothenburg, having received his PhD in 2007. He has held positions as an assistant professor and later as an associate professor in Interaction Design at Chalmers University of Technology from 2011 to 2017. His entrepreneurial spirit is evidenced by the founding of a commercial spin-off company that capitalizes on his research in crisis response and information technology. Landgren’s scholarly pursuits are interdisciplinary, blending Information Systems (IS) with Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

    Landgren’s research primarily investigates the utilization of digital technologies within organizational settings. He analyzes the interplay between technology design and its pragmatic application across diverse environments. A primary area of his research is the use of digital technology in sports, where he employs a practice-based approach to assess the deployment of these technologies in sports settings. His research is dedicated to the creation and application of digital tools that support, enhance, and transform team sports and individual endurance sports.

    Throughout his work, Landgren has contributed to the understanding of digitalization in high-stakes organizational environments, focusing on how digital tools can improve performance, training, and the holistic experience.

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Published

2026-05-22

Conference Proceedings Volume

Vol. 23 (2026): Proceedings of ISCRAM 2026

Section

ISCRAM Proceedings

How to Cite

Yeshua-Katz, D., & Landgren, J. (2026). WhatsApp as Communication Infrastructure in Volunteer-Based EMS. Proceedings of the International ISCRAM Conference, 23. https://doi.org/10.59297/t6d4jn58

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