Image Rescuer or Image Destroyer?: Effects of Information Congruence on Facebook on Organizational Crisis Communication

• In Event: Advances in the Study of Risk and Crisis Communication

Abstract

This study explores the effects of Facebook on organizational crisis communication and the factors that enhance or hinder the effects of such communication, focusing on the British Petroleum’s (BP) Deepwater Horizon oil spill crisis. Within the theoretical framework of attribution and social identity theory, this study conducted an experiment to examine the influence of congruence between Facebook users’ comments and BP’s messages regarding the public’s perceived image of BP. The results suggest that Facebook may potentially be an effective crisis communication tool in affecting public perception of an organization in crisis; however, the effects are limited to congruence between Facebook users’ comments and the organization’s messages, publics’ pre-crisis attitudes toward the organization, and publics’ perceived social connection to Facebook users. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

Authors

• Lan Ye, State University of New York at Cortland

• Eyun-Jung Ki, The University of Alabama