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2025-10-15
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How to Cite
Effectiveness evaluation of crisis communication strategies in guiding public emotions on social media platforms
Yue Hu
School of Multimedia Technology and Communication, College of Arts and Sciences, University Utara Malaysia, ,UUM Sintok, Kedah Darul Aman, 06010, Malaysia
Jamilah Binti Jama
School of Multimedia Technology and Communication, College of Arts and Sciences, University Utara Malaysia, ,UUM Sintok, Kedah Darul Aman, 06010, Malaysia
Suhaini binti Muda
School of Multimedia Technology and Communication, College of Arts and Sciences, University Utara Malaysia, ,UUM Sintok, Kedah Darul Aman, 06010, Malaysia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i10.3822
Keywords: crisis communication strategies; emotional regulation; social media platforms; situational crisis communication theory; public sentiment analysis
Abstract
This study analyses the impact of crisis communications on the management of public emotions on social media. By conducting a mixed-methods analysis of fifteen major organisational crises from five different industries, the research assesses the impact of various communication frameworks on the emotional trajectories throughout the crises. Results suggest that proactive and accommodative strategies demonstrated higher effectiveness in reducing negative emotional impact compared to defensive approaches in this sample; however, enduring strategy effectiveness is contingent upon crisis responsibility attribution. Response timing emerged as a significant factor driving outcomes, accounting for 28.3% of the variance. This research documents the extent to which strategy selection and execution patterns differ by industry, observing that technology firms in this study typically employed rapid proactive disclosure while food and beverage companies more frequently used delayed, defensive strategies. The research contributes to crisis communication theory by developing quantitative models for analyzing emotions as multifaceted phenomena influenced by network dynamics, algorithmic factors, and platform-specific characteristics, while offering evidence-based insights for crisis response strategy development.
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