Public sectors and nonprofit organizations use of social media to communicate compassion during crisis

Abstract

Using compassion is an important public communication strategy associated with many positive outcomes. While research on compassion has grown in many fields, few studies have explored the role of compassion in crisis communication. This study fills the gap in the research to examine if public sectors and nonprofit organizations used compassion on their social media content and how it impacts public emotion in a winter freeze crisis in Texas. Facebook posts from four local agencies were analyzed to investigate the role of compassion in crisis communication during this emergency. The results highlight the value of using compassion on social media in crisis communication. Facebook posts containing compassion components significantly increased online public engagement. Furthermore, compassion functioned to decrease negative emotions and bolster positive emotions among the public. Media richness did not exert any significant impact on public reactions. Policy implications for government agencies and non-profit organizations are discussed.