The Role of Social Media in Crisis Communication. A multiple case study

Abstract

This study builds on a multiple case study of two Norwegian organizations within aviation who underwent crisis situations in the past year. The main purpose of the study is to explore the role of social media in crisis communication through a qualitative approach. Four research questions were formulated to investigate the usage of Facebook and Twitter during and after a crisis situation, crisis response strategies and the challenges of social media in crisis communication. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted, in addition to a content analysis of Facebook and Twitter. The findings suggested that an organization’s presence on social media is reliant on the scope of the crisis. Also, it appeared that the public puts more trust in traditional media rather than social media. Furthermore, it was evident that the social media aspect is underdeveloped in crisis communication and crisis communication strategies such as SCCT. This study acts as a contributor to the field of social media in crisis communication and allows organizations in other industries to gain insight into several factors of significance on the appliance of Facebook and Twitter in a crisis situation.