Exploring the active-empathic listening behaviors of the Quezon City local government social media at the time of the pandemic

Abstract

Organizations have substantially taken to social media their attempts to address the communication gaps caused by COVID-19. This investigation sought to explore how a local government unit’s social media page practiced and manifested active-empathic listening in response to the communication challenges brought about by the global health emergency. Although this study recognizes that active-empathic listening is a dimension already integrated in local interpersonal contexts, there is still a need to contextualize listening behaviors exchanged in social media in consideration of the local government unit’s crisis communication practices. Press releases from Quezon City’s official Facebook page were selected and analyzed using content analysis anchored in Bodie’s Active-Empathic Listening Scale. The study discovered that more than half of all key phrases and sentences that exhibited listening behaviors in the press releases manifested sensing behaviors – they reflected active-empathic listening through being sensitive and receptive to public opinion, acknowledging that their constituents were being sought and heard, and verbalizing empathy. A number of messages also demonstrated the responding listening dimension, with statements denoting proactive measures done to address the citizen’s concerns. Only a few messages were found to have exhibited processing listening behaviors which are messages aimed to verbalize the cognitive processes of hearing and remembering. By successfully integrating dimensions of active-empathic listening, Quezon City – through its Facebook page – managed to not only deliver public health information but also extend empathy, social support, and responsiveness to its constituents. The study’s findings ultimately suggested how local government units can utilize social media to incorporate relational initiatives to make crisis communication more empathetic and interpersonal.