Governments and Social Media Influencers in Times of Crisis
Author
Borén, Thomas
Term
4. term
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-05-31
Pages
44
Abstract
Baggrund: Under COVID-19-pandemien blev regeringers kommunikation til offentligheden vurderet meget forskelligt. Den amerikanske regering blev kritiseret, mens Danmarks statsminister, Mette Frederiksen, blev rost for sin håndtering. Samtidig peger udviklingen på faldende brug af traditionelle medier i USA, og ifølge den finske regering ses en lignende tendens i Finland. Derfor valgte Finland at kommunikere via sociale medier og samarbejde med influencere for at sprede pålidelig information. Formål: Studiet undersøger, hvordan regeringer kan anvende sociale medie-influencere i krisesituationer, hvordan influencere rundt om i verden adresserede pandemien, og hvilke læringer der kan drages af deres indsats. Metode: Undersøgelsen er kvalitativ og eksplorativ. Den analyserer Instagram-opslag om pandemien fra influencere i forskellige lande ved hjælp af en multimodal analyse, dvs. en analyse af, hvordan billeder, tekst og andre elementer spiller sammen i kommunikationen. Konklusion: Når en krise opstår, kan regeringer vælge mellem flere kriseresponsstrategier afhængigt af situationen og lade kommunikationen bygge på den valgte strategi. Sociale medier og influencere kan bruges til at udbrede budskaber hurtigt, fordi indhold nemt kan deles. Studiet finder desuden, at influencere allerede bidrog til fællesskabsfølelse og opmærksomhed gennem kreative greb som sociale medie-udfordringer, der opfordrede brugere til at dele indhold.
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments’ communication with the public was judged very differently. The U.S. government faced criticism, while Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, was praised for her handling. At the same time, traditional media use appears to be declining in the United States and, according to the Finnish government, also in Finland. In response, Finland chose to communicate via social media and to work with influencers to share reliable information. Purpose: This study explores how governments can use social media influencers during crises, how influencers around the world addressed the pandemic, and what can be learned from their efforts. Method: The study uses a qualitative, exploratory design. It analyzes Instagram posts about the pandemic from influencers in different countries using a multimodal analysis, meaning it looks at how images, text, and other elements work together to communicate. Conclusion: When a crisis occurs, governments can choose among several crisis response strategies depending on the situation and align public communication with the chosen approach. Social media and influencers can help spread messages quickly because content is easy to share. The study also finds that influencers were already fostering community spirit and awareness through creative formats such as social media challenges that encourage users to share content.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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