Penggunaan Media Sosial Instagram dalam Komunikasi Bencana Kesiapsiagaan Erupsi Gunung Merapi

One of the volcanoes that has potential disaster is Mount Merapi, the most active mountain in Indonesia that has a short eruption period. With these characteristics, the community, government, and related institutions need to increase vigilance and preparedness to minimize the adverse impact of Mount Merapi’s eruption. Communication is not only needed during disaster emergencies but also in pre-disaster times. This study aims to find out how disaster communication through Instagram @bpptkg social media in increasing the vigilance and preparedness of people living in disaster-prone areas of Mount Merapi. This study uses a qualitative content analysis method. The material objects in this study include Instagram posts @bpptkg from January 1 to July 31, 2024. The unit of analysis used is the content of the posts on the account. The results of the study show that the BPPTKG Institution consistently uploads disaster communication content in the following categories: Mount Merapi Activity Report, Disaster Risk, Mount Merapi Hot Cloud Video, Peak Conditions, Education, and BPPTKG Institution Activities. This study uses Media Dependency Theory by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin DeFleur. Instagram allows BPPTKG to convey up-to-date information on volcanic status, warnings, and evacuation measures in an easily accessible manner. Direct interaction through comments and private messages allows BPPTKG to respond to people's questions and concerns effectively, which strengthens communication relationships. The suggestion from this research is that BPPTKG can improve content related to education to increase public knowledge about natural disasters and collaborate with local media to reach a wider community.