Crisis Management and Social Media Platforms: A Review and Future Research Agenda

Introduction

In the era of globalization and digitalization, crises can occur anywhere and anytime, creating severe disruptions in the functioning of organizations. To mitigate the impact of crises, organizations need to have a well-planned and efficient crisis management strategy (Coombs, 2019). One of the critical components of modern crisis management is SMPs, which can act as a two-edged knife in times of crisis. The major advantage of SMP is its capability in enabling the dissemination of information and offering a means for establishments to interact with their stakeholders.

Social media platforms become a vital part of disaster management strategies for most of organizations because of their capability to spread vital information faster and reach a wider audience. By utilizing the social media platforms nay organization can distribute real-time information and communicate with their stakeholder swiftly, which will help the organization to condense the misinformation and confusion during a crisis event. (Veil, Buehner, & Palenchar, 2011). However, social media can also exacerbate negative emotions and false information, leading to a deepening crisis. Recent studies have inquired into the significance of social media platforms in managing crises. As stated by Casero and Ripollés (2020), SMPs are an important element of CM, and organizations must establish competent approaches to utilize them. In addition, Hassankhani and Alidadi (2021) emphasized the significance of SMPs in emergency transmissions and recommends that organizations implement best practices for effective crisis management. Other studies, such as those by Sharifi and Azhdari (2021), Mak (2019), Song (2019), Pang (2021), Cai and Jiang (2021), and Chan (2021), have also contributed to our understanding of crisis management along SMP. However, research in this field is still fragmented thus makes it difficult to better understand the current state of the research area and to forge a path ahead in the leadership literature. The present study aims to contribute to the crisis leadership literature by providing an updated review of the latest crisis leadership articles and their findings. Thus, will advance the crisis leadership literature and offer a valuable theoretical guide for the researchers to further advance the literature.