Crisis communication

Social psychology

Dialogic

Public relations

Pedagogy

Psychiatry

Crisis response

Psychology

Politics

Social media

Political science

Sociology

Content analysis

Coping (psychology)

Publics

Media studies

Social science

Public Relations Review

Despite the promise of social media to engender dialogue, the common approach to studying social media may prioritize monologue, whereby research considers the strategies organizations use in targeting publics, particularly in a crisis. This study uses a mixed-method approach to analyze dialogue in a crisis—semantic network analysis and content analysis. Specifically, this study examines the emotional expression and crisis coping behaviors on social media during two separate terror attacks: the Paris terror attacks in 2015 and the Barcelona terror attacks in 2017. Results demonstrate how publics may be identified and understood through semantic network analysis and content analysis. This study also shows the connection between emotions and coping, expanding the crisis communication literature in public relations, and suggests the need to consider agenda-setting and resilience in crisis communication research. Finally, we discuss this study's implications for assuming a dialogic orientation in public relations.

Social media dialogues in a crisis: A mixed-methods approach to identifying publics on social media