Expectations vs. Practice in Critical Infrastructure Operator Crisis Communication

Abstract

Previous research into social media in crisis communication has tended to focus on use by emergency managers rather than another key stakeholder, critical infrastructure (CI) operators. This chapter adds to this field by empirically investigating public expectations of information provided by CI operators during crisis situations. It does so by drawing on a review of the literature on public expectations of disaster-related information shared via social media. Then it presents the results of an online questionnaire and interview-based study of disaster-vulnerable communities in France, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Results indicate that members of the public expect CI operators to provide information via traditional and social media, but not necessarily respond to queries on social media. Operators appear to meet traditional media expectations but should expand their current practices to include digital media.