Key Communicators’ Perspectives on the Use of Social Media in Risks and Crises

Abstract

This chapter examines how key communicators understand and evaluate opportunities and challenges of using social media in risk and crisis situations. We have conducted semi-structured interviews with several risk and crisis communicators with different tasks and functions. Interviewees range from crisis information managers and communicators supporting first responders, to journalists and journalist advisors. Interviewees give their views on optimal risk and/or crisis communication, and shortcomings in the current use of social media during crises. They also reflect on how the use of social media can be further developed to optimize key communicators’ awareness of and response to crises. Our study provides a preliminary understanding of how the use of social media may contribute to altering role conceptions among different key crisis communicators and ultimately to changing different actors’ communicative practices in risk and crisis situations.