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Topic: Social Media

You are a disgrace and traitor to our country: Uncivil rhetoric against the ‘squad’ on Twitter.

Borah, P., Trude, B., Binford, M., Keib, K., and Himelboim, I. (2022). “You are a disgrace and traitor to our country: Uncivil rhetoric against the ‘squad’ on Twitter.” Internet Research. Online First.   

Abstract: For many, the sole source for news content is social media, where passionate opinions are posted at an alarming speed. These opinions can cross the line from differing opinions shared in a public forum onto uncivil dialogue and even hate speech. Such online discourse threatens democratic values and creates a hostile environment. The purpose of this paper is to examine such incivility using the case of four congresswomen known as “The Squad”. Design/methodology/approach”: The authors conducted a content analysis examining 20,563 replies to tweets sent by the four congresswomen. The social media data analysis and library, Brandwatch, was used to aggregate tweets posted by the four representatives, as well as all the replies posted to these tweets. The replies were coded to understand the types of incivility against each of the four congresswomen, whether the topics of a tweet can predict the types of incivility received in response, and the impact of Trump’s tweet against the congresswomen. Findings:  The study findings show the majority of replies contained uncivil language. The most common types of incivility are related to name-calling, stereotypes, threats to individual rights and vulgarity. Tweets about immigration and the Muslim ban, as well as tweets with negative tones received more replies. Following Donald Trump’s Twitter attack on the representatives, replies to the congresswomen’s tweets almost doubled. Mainly two types of incivility were observed to have increased significantly – the use of stereotypes and threats to individual rights. Originality/value: The study examines incivility on Twitter against four black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) congresswomen as an exploratory case to observe and understand the growing phenomenon of uncivil language which feeds a polarized society and threatens democratic values. “The Squad” is more than an isosteric case study. It captures key changes in American politics. In the context of democratic discourse, the attack by the former president on these congresswomen and the response on social media address key issues of gender, religion and race in the United States. 

Navigating Political Scandal and Reputation Crisis in Social Media

Abstract: Social media presents unique challenges and opportunities to practitioners in the public affairs context. The dominant social media platforms allow organizations to communicate directly with voters, supporters, and customers, permitting them to circumvent traditional media. But this unrivaled access comes at a price that includes heightened scrutiny of messaging, an accelerated news cycle, and exposure to hyper-partisanship. When organizations find themselves in the midst of a crisis born from social media or extending into that context, these opportunities and risks are heightened. Public officials and candidates for elective office in the midst of a political scandal confront operational risk, exposure to trolls and bots, as well as public confusion regarding the parties responsible for its management. Organizations unaccustomed to regular engagement in public affairs similarly find themselves in uncharted waters. They may be exposed to unusually high levels of social media pressure and face the prospect of lasting damage to their brands. Building appropriate infrastructure for managing social media, including the use of appropriate analytics, establishing clear lines of responsibility for social media, deploying third parties as needed, and a long-term reputation management program can help organizations endure even unforeseen crises in the midst of a political scandal or reputation crisis.

Influencer Crisis Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: @KatieMCrenshaw

Abstract: Social media influencers (SMIs) equipped their niche following with health crisis response information about social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many SMIs provided audiences with COVID-19 crisis response information, this case chapter details how a widely followed millennial mom influencer, Katie Crenshaw, leveraged Instagram’s features in line with the Health Belief Model (HBM). To reduce the barriers to social distancing, her content engaged her audience with practical ways to social distance with children. She fostered a social media community of moms committed to staying at home with their children during the health crisis. She also held her followers accountable to social distancing by developing a hashtag campaign with other widely followed SMIs. The following case chapter outlines her content strategy in light of HBM, a theory increasingly being used to examine the effectiveness of crisis communication efforts. Insights and recommendations for practitioners and researchers are discussed.

New Technology, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract: Moore’s law, which has helped to explain the exponential growth achieved in traditional computational power over the past half-century, has been eschewed for Neven’s law. Neven’s law posits that quantum computing is advancing at a doubly exponential rate. Quantum computers possess the processing power required to analyze the incalculable amount of “big data” in existence today. Together, big data and quantum computing are driving advancements in machine learning, which in turn, helps to power artificial intelligence (AI). AI, computational power, and big data will accelerate the development of technologies that will alter how humans behave and communicate. Using these three technologies as a foundation, this chapter explores (i) the explosion and analysis of “big data,” (ii) the evolution of advanced AI, and (iii) the emergence of extended reality (XR). The impact of these technologies and trends on organizations, crisis communication theory and practice, and society at-large are discussed and supported with real-world examples.

Crisis Information Vetting: Extending the Social-Mediated Crisis Communication Model

Abstract: Social media provides users easy access to unpredictable and unfiltered information from multiple sources during crises, further challenging publics to discern the accuracy of the information they receive and to decide how to react subsequently. Although studies using the social-mediated crisis communication (SMCC) model identify how public actively seek and share crisis information when exposed to it during crisis, it remains unknown why and how publics engage with certain crisis information before their information transmission behaviors. Therefore, echoing the need to understand how publics cope in complex crisis situations and how they consume crisis information in accordance with their social media environment, this chapter summarizes recent scholarly efforts in updating the SMCC model by adding information vetting as a new key component of crisis information engagement and crisis coping, grounded primarily in a dual-process model and meta-cognition.

Crisis Misinformation and Corrective Strategies in Social-Mediated Crisis Communication

Abstract: The social-mediated crisis communication domain is flooded with misinformation in various forms, causing misperception about a crisis and trigger negative crisis outcomes that harm organizational reputation and publics’ wellbeing. Organizations and crisis practitioners must understand the characteristics of crisis misinformation and key actors in misinformation spread on social media in order to fight misinformation via effective corrective communication. By reviewing and synthesizing misinformation and corrective communication theories and published empirical evidence that are directly relevant to social media and crisis communication, this chapter defines crisis misinformation, illustrates a typology of misinformation characteristics, identifies key actors in crisis misinformation spread, and recommends corrective communication strategies for organizations to consider in fighting misinformation in social-mediated crisis communication. Future research directions and key recommendations are made for both scholars and crisis managers in order to advance our knowledge and practice in combating crisis misinformation with enhanced effectiveness.

Organizational Purpose, Culture, Crisis Leadership, and Social Media

Abstract: This chapter explores the importance of organizational purpose, culture, and leadership in weathering a social media crisis and the impact of stakeholders’ changing expectations on organizational responses. Organizations are increasingly expected to communicate transparently and to live their purpose and culture through action, even as trust levels decline. Social media presents leaders with tremendous opportunities to share important information about what distinguishes their organizations from others before a crisis hits, but at the same time, it poses a threat. Organizations are more visible and more vulnerable, allowing stakeholders to learn about situations they might not have otherwise and evaluate organizational responses immediately. The chapter discusses how leaders can seize social media opportunities while avoiding pitfalls and mitigating threats.

Ethical and Legal Principles for the Practitioner Consumers, Organizations, and Platforms

Abstract: The standard advice in crisis communication is to respond quickly, but only with what is absolutely known to be fact. Social media have increased the potential for quick response, but that speed applies not only to facts but also to rumors or disinformation. This chapter lays out the challenges of this dilemma between speed and control. It also addresses the benefits of social media as a means to communicate specific messages to ever more specific audiences during a crisis. The chapter briefly reviews some established and emerging theory-focused scholarship. Case illustrations are used to parse details linked to theory and practice. Cases include the challenges of the briefly existing European Super League in football, the reaction of an updated user agreement for WhatsApp, and the bankruptcy of Fagor Electrical Appliances in Basque Country. Finally, the voices of global crisis communication experts are engaged to answer the question of common issues that emerge in crisis communication today.

Can Warning labels mitigate Effects of Advertising Message Claims in Celebrity-Endorsed Instagram-Based Electronic Cigarette Advertisements? Influence on Social Media Users’ E-Cigarette Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions

Abstract: Electronic cigarette brands are increasingly using social media to advertise their products. This study examined effects of advertising message claim type (reduced risk [“Healthier than regular cigarettes”], cessation [“Quit smoking using e-cigarettes”] versus no message claim) and health warning labels (presence versus absence) in celebrity-endorsed Instagram e-cigarette brand advertisements. A 3×2 between-subjects experiment was conducted through an online questionnaire, with participants (N = 275) randomly assigned to 1 of 6 experimental conditions. Presence of a health warning label exerted significant main effects on attitude towards the ad, intention to use e-cigarettes, and brand attitude, and interacted with message claim type to affect these dependent measures. Health consciousness, perceived information value and celebrity identification also significantly moderated between presence of a health warning label and attitude towards the ad, intention to use e-cigarettes and brand attitude. Presence of health warning labels in social media-based e-cigarette ads may therefore mitigate potential effects of positive advertising claims in these ads. Implications for regulatory agencies and future research are discussed.

Social Media and Crisis Communication

Yan Jin and Lucinda Austin

Description: The second edition of this text integrates theory, research, and application to orient readers to the latest thinking about the role of social media in crisis communication. Specific crisis arenas such as health, corporate, nonprofit, religious, political, and disaster are examined in depth, along with social media platforms and newer technology. This edition provides a fresh look at the role of visual communication in social media and a more global review of social media and crisis communication literature. With an enhanced focus on the ethics section, a short communication overview piece, and case studies for each area of application, it is practical for use in a variety of learning settings. This book is written for scholars, advanced students, and practitioners who wish to stay on the leading edge of research, public relations, strategic communications, corporate communications, government and NGO communications, and emergency and disaster response.

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