Social media in various forms from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram and Vine has become instrumental in daily communications. Whether someone is looking for the latest celebrity gossip or breaking news, many individuals are turning to social media for the answers. It is this dependency on social media that led to the importance of it during times of crisis. Whether it is Twitter or Facebook, news outlets, politicians, key community leaders, and organizations are using social media to spread emergency information to cities, states, and even the nation in a short amount of time. For example, Seong E. Cho and Han W. Park (2013) examined the importance of Twitter during the 2011 Japanese earthquake. They examined 568 tweets over a 40 hour time period and discovered that the tweets changed from informational to opinion orientated (Cho & Park 2013). The purpose of our paper is to use analyze Network Theory and the Social Mediated Crisis Communication Model to emphasize the importance of strategic communication through social media channels (i.e.: Facebook and Twitter). …show more content…
In 2005, Barbara Reynolds and Matthew W. Seeger examined the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Model (CERC) as a way to explain recent crises including West Nile virus (1999-present day), Anthrax (2001), Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) (2002-2003), and Avian Flu (2004). The model explains how best to address the situation as either risk communication or crisis communication and how best to prepare the public for the situation (Reynolds & Seeger 2005). This detailed examination of how to respond to the crisis based upon the needs of the public and the severity of the situation lays the groundwork for future studies in crisis communication. CERC is commonly used by the Center for Disease Control for their basis on how to handle various health related
This is because the effects of the medium on a personal and social scale as the extension of us can result from a new scale that is introduced into our lives by the extension of ourselves and by any kind of new technology (McLuhan, 1964, p. 7). In this case, the medium could be twitter. Created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams, twitter has proven to be the largest source of breaking news and social networking site. Since its beginnings, twitter is the medium
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Ruggiero, A. & Vos, M. (2014) Social media monitoring for crisis communication: process, methods and trends in the scientific literature. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 4(1), 105-127.
Taco Bell is a good example of how a company is able to use social media in the time of a crisis to their advantage. They were able to take a negative situation, and reverse the possible effects through different outlets such as social media. Many organizations can view this case and learn how to use these outlets in a time of crisis. It is crucial to deliver the correct information to the public as quickly as possible when a crisis occurs (Crandall, Parnell, & Spillan, 2013).
Large events such as the Boston Marathon bombing, to small town crimes, proves that social media has been depicted as an important tool to law enforcement. Through the exploration of social media’s
Twitter has grabbed attention of a variety of professions from sports analysts to business executives. Twitter can be used to share information, provide advice, and promote events. The multiple ways Twitter is used is very similar to the duties of a public relations professional. Although Twitter is used to supplement the tools that are already available for PR professionals, twitter is a great way to accommodate practices exorcised during the proactive stage of the conflict management life cycle. Many PR professional and agencies have started to merge Twitter in everyday practice. In particular, Landis Communication, Simply Zesty, and Bill Stoller have taken advantage of Twitter to further their work in the public relations field. While monitoring the three twitter accounts a distinctive pattern in the information shared presented a direct connection with the three subcategories of the proactive stage.
Lets take a look at natural disasters, social media helps spread knowledge about events. Not everyone watches the news, and I am sure that those people who don’t watch news have some type of social media. Natural disasters are important and social media helps us be aware of our surrounds where ever we may be. Newspapers can only do so much and they take time to print and reach everyone. In critical circumstances newspapers needs to spread fast even cross borders, however social media ends up doing exactly
Social media is now becoming a primary news source for people. When something is happening, social media users sometimes post about the breaking news before news stations even arrive to the scene. If it was not for social media, the world we live in today would be extremely
Crisis communication is an area of public relations that I find really fascinating. I enjoy learning about the proper steps that a professional takes when a company is pitted against a major crisis, and what they do in the face of chaos to turn the situation around and use the crisis in their own favor. One case study that exemplifies the degree to which a crisis can be managed effectively and a company can gain more respect by doing so is the case of the Chicago Tylenol Murders in 1982. The tragic deaths of seven people who died due to potassium cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules started as a disaster for Tylenol producer Johnson and Johnson. However, J&J communicated with their publics and the media proficiently, investigated their products after pulling millions of dollars of Tylenol capsules off the shelves across the nation, and developed proper packaging to avoid further mishaps.
Ulmer, RR, Sellnow, TL & Seeger, MW 2007, Effective crisis communication, Thousand Oakes: Sage Publications.
Effective communication in an organization is one of the components of its success. Managers are charged with navigating communication obstacles while making every effort to harness its benefits. This onus placed on managers is compounded by organizational advancements and the application of new technologies. One relatively new organizational technology being applied is the use of social media. Social media creates communication issues yet conversely alleviates specific communication barriers by playing several roles within organizations today.
Effective communication in its various forms is the substratum of crisis management. Internal and external communication is essential during times of crisis if a successful outcome is to prevail. In a crisis, people’s lives are often at risk, these are lives that can be lost or protected; however, their fate lies in the hands of information. A breakdown in communication during times of crisis will interfere in dispensing pertinent and time sensitive information to the target audience, thus placing them at a gross disadvantage in protecting their health. During a crisis, it can be extremely costly to falter in delivering accurate, detailed, and informative information.
Social media is a revolution, which we are currently experiencing. It has changed the way people communicate and interact with one another, and opens up many more avenues to share news, information, and just general chit chat. Social media is relatively quiet young, but is here to stay for the foreseeable future. We are now at a point where online, we can share, read and react to lots of individual information being posted on microblogging websites, such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr and more. Twitter in particular has been widely embraced, and will centre most of the discussion.
Social media sites including Twitter and Facebook are in their infancy yet play an increasingly important role in the response to a disaster. After all, “one of the basic tenants of emergency management is mass communication and being able to deliver pertinent information to those who need it” (Gould, 2012). Social media offers an avenue to obtain up to the minute information on a given situation right in an individual's hands thanks to the proliferation of mobile devices. “Each disaster sparks its own complex web of fast-paced information exchange. It can both improve disaster response and allow affected populations to take control of their situation as well as feel empowered” (Maron, 2013). While traditional forms of media, print, radio and television in particular, have been the standard since the inception of the emerg...
Social media is about relationships as much as tactics and techniques. A strong human element to your brand will help customers trust your credibility and perspective. It has become imperative for a journalist, companies, and organizations to use Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to get breaking news out faster and promote their publications. You can update your hourly about an event, new item, community involvement, or etc, and easily get out your message.