Effects of Media Channel, Crisis Type and Demographics on Audience Intent to Follow Instructing Information During Crisis

Abstract

Media channel use during crisis is an underdeveloped area of crisis communication research. A thorough understanding of how and where people seek information during a crisis is central to effective crisis message strategy, and understanding how the media source of crisis information affects motivation to comply with crisis directives to audiences can further inform crisis management. A survey (N = 454) examines how audiences use media during crisis communication and reveals that (1) people use different media for information seeking during different types of crisis, (2) among demographics, age predicts preferences in information channels during crisis and (3) crisis type and age shape the relationship between media choice and intent to follow recommended behaviours. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Connecting the dots in counterterrorism: The consequences of communication setting for shared situation awareness and team performance

“…Such decision support may allow for richer communication, potentially helping SSA at levels 2 and 3, as well as capturing the way people interact through the media and their perception of it (George, Carlson, & Valacich, ; Kraut et al., ). Certain types of distributed media—traditional television and modern online websites—could also be important for conveying situation awareness information to the public (see, e.g., Park & Avery, ). Their effect on the different levels of shared awareness could be examined.…”

“…Terrorism is a security challenge that often crosses organizational and national boundaries (NATO, ). Developing an understanding of terror threats may require both communicating with the public (Coombs, ; Park & Avery, ) and communicating within counterterrorism teams (Christensen, Lægreid, & Rykkja, ; Gjørv, ; Schraagen, Huis in t'Veld, & de Koning, ). In general, Weick () points out that it can be challenging to communicate about and understand information on terrorist threats.…”

Understanding motivated publics during disasters: Examining message functions, frames, and styles of social media influentials and followers

“…The U&G approach can be used to examine how and why individuals use social media from a public‐centric functionalist perspective (Muntinga et al, ; Park & Avery, ). In fact, the literature regarding social media crisis communication from a U&G perspective has offered important insights about users' needs and motives to engage in various communicative behaviours online (Ifinedo, ; Muntinga et al, ; Park & Avery, ; Sheldon & Bryant, ). For example, Starbird and Palen () found that people were motivated to tweet due to their needs for connection and altruism after the Haiti earthquake.…”

“…The U&G perspective and the social‐mediated crises literature suggest that social media influentials and followers have different motivations and, thus, engage in different communicative behaviours during crises. First, the U&G perspective proposes that users communicate to satisfy their distinct psychological needs, which has received support in the social media context (e.g., Ifinedo, ; Muntinga et al, ; Park & Avery, ; Sheldon & Bryant, ). Moreover, the SMCC model theorizes that social media influentials create crisis information and followers consume crisis information (Jin & Liu, ).…”

Public attention to extreme weather as reflected by social media activity

“…This is not to say that the concept of public attention has received no consideration within the risk and hazard literature. On the contrary, there exists a robust body of research that examines components of public attention to extreme events, such as information seeking and/or sharing (e.g., Brynielsson et al, ; Park & Avery, ; Sherman‐Morris, Senkbeil, & Carver, ; Sivle & Kolstø, ; Yang, Aloe, & Feeley, ), interpretation and/or sense‐making (e.g., Eiser et al, ; Lee, ; Morss, Demuth, & Lazo, ; Olsson, Folke, & Berkes, ; Rashid, ; Stieglitz, Bunker, Mirbabaie, & Ehnis, ; Sutton, Hansard, & Hewett, , Sutton et al, ; Weick, ; Weick, ), and risk perception and/or response (Lee & Lemyre, ; de Man & Simpson‐Housley, ; Morss et al, ; Ripberger, Silva, Jenkins‐Smith, & James, ; Sheridan, ; Sherman‐Morris, ,; Silver, ; Silver & Conrad, ). There has also been research published on the distinct but related concept of public awareness to extreme weather (e.g., Burningham, Fielding, & Thrush, ; Vieweg, Hughes, Starbird, & Palen, ).…”