Facebook and Twitter in Crisis Communication: A Comparative Study of Crisis Communication Professionals and Citizens

Abstract

This mixed-methods study presents a comparative analysis of the use and perceived usefulness of Facebook and Twitter, among Swedish citizens and crisis communication professionals, as crisis communication tools and information sources. The use and perceived usefulness of Facebook and Twitter are not congruent and consistent between the two different groups, according to the overall study. Communication professionals, for example, report higher levels of perceived usefulness regarding Facebook's potential as a crisis communication tool than do the citizens. Taken together, the results show that researchers (within social media and crisis communication) and crisis managers both need to deal with the fact that social media is not a homogenous phenomenon with a single coherent role in crisis management and communication research and practice.

Terms of engagement: Facebook and Twitter use among nonprofit human service organizations

“…For example, some studies identify specific functions (or affordances) that shape organizational decision‐making (Treem & Leonardi, ). Drawing on this theory, one might expect Facebook to be better suited for higher levels of engagement, such as community building and action, than Twitter because, as researchers have noted, Facebook has features that encourage conversation and stronger ties among users (Eriksson & Olsson, ). Facebook also offers users the capacity to create groups, for families, friends, or other communities of interest, creating a more personalized experience (Haro de Rosario, Saez‐Martin, & del Carmen Caba Perez, ).…”

The Diffusion of Crisis-Related Communication on Social Media: An Empirical Analysis of Facebook Reactions

“…A comparative study by Eriksson and Olsson [15] investigated the perception of both Twitter and Facebook with professionals from ESAs and citizens in Sweden. They found that ESAs feel more experienced with Facebook than Twitter though its usage is rather low.…”

“…Additionally, Twitter was considered an elite channel used to reach journalists or decision-makers, whereas Facebook can reach the general public. Citizens that act as recipients and co-creators onsite also valued Facebook higher than Twitter [15]. For example, Facebook was used during the European Floods of 2013 to organise volunteer communities [43].…”

Disentangling rhetorical subarenas of public health crisis communication: A study of the 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak in the news media and social media in Sweden

“…For example, traditional news media provide extensive coverage, but are in general associated with one‐way communication. In contrast, Facebook avails two‐ or multiway communication and is used by the public to find, share and discuss crisis‐related information (Eriksson & Olsson, ).…”