The research study explores a new set of visual conventions which emerged during civil emergency events within the United Kingdom between 1997-2017, sited specially in relation to the UK governments convening of the COBR Committee. The inquiry contends that the advent of new media technologies such as social media and camera phones has enabled a new type of emergency aesthetics with its own visual conventions and qualities which has enabled citizen witnesses to record and disseminate images of emergency prior to the government's public acknowledgement. This new form of bottom-up decision on the exception by citizen witnesses contends that the space of emergency politics is, momentarily, receptive to the definition by citizens themselves not simply by governments or the media. In doing so, this inquiry suggests there are new opportunities within the combination of new media and the civil emergency event when the COBR Committee fails to respond but the images gain wide resonance within the wider public. This data comprises the UK government's publicly announced emergency response Committee COBRA meetings, between 1997-2017.The research study explores a new set of visual conventions which emerged during civil emergency events within the United Kingdom between 1997-2017, sited specially in relation to the UK governments convening of the COBR Committee. The inquiry contends that the advent of new media technologies such as social media and camera phones has enabled a new type of emergency aesthetics with its own visual conventions and qualities which has enabled citizen witnesses to record and disseminate images of emergency prior to the government's public acknowledgement. This new form of bottom-up decision on the exception by citizen witnesses, contends that the space of emergency politics is, momentarily, receptive to definition by citizens themselves not simply by governments or the media. In doing so, this inquiry suggests there are new opportunities within the combination of new media and the civil emergency event, when the COBR Committee fails to respond but the images gain wide resonance within the wider public.

The data was collected from official No.10 Downing Street Press Office press releases, as well as examining public library records of newspaper reports around the dates of civil emergency events between 1997-2017. It was also sourced from video recording of political statements following civil emergency events in the internet and via image stock websites such as Getty.com