Protecting Organization Reputations during a Crisis: Emerging Social Media in Risk and Crisis Communication

Abstract

Background/Objectives: This study focuses on how social media is used by Kuwaiti organizations as a tool in risk and crisis communication. Methods/Statistical Analysis: It examines how social media affects people’s opinions about the performance of companies, including whether or not people are really influenced by rumors and negative comments about these companies. In particular, the purpose of the study was to investigate how people were affected by available news and information on social media about organization performance. Findings: This study investigates whether people believe and trust information available on social media about organizations, and to what degree they are influenced by news or information regarding these organizations. Finally, we try to explore whether negative comments and rumors on social media platforms have an impact on people’s personal opinions, and to what extent. The participants for this study were a sample of Kuwaiti citizens living in the state of Kuwait. A random sample of 382 men and woman from different ages who use social media was obtained through an online survey (Survey Monkey). In this study, the researcher used an online questionnaire, with a total of 382 Kuwaiti citizens initially approached for responses, which were then analyzed for research. The results revealed that the majority of the respondents (82%) are at least sometimes affected by news and information available on social media, while 87% believe that social media is a successful tool in maintaining the reputation of a company. 65% of respondents indicated that social media plays a significant role in the development of companies, and 58% are influenced by abusive comments showing up on social media in relation to the companies’ reputation. Application/Improvements: The application of this study indicated that participants preferred to use Instagram as a social media tool, suggesting that this platform has specific features that do not exist on other platforms, such as high-quality photos being available and users being able to return to them whenever they need. Keywords: Business to Consumer and Cronbach’s Alpha, Management Crisis, Social Media