Navigating the COVID-19 Crisis: Higher Education Institutions and the Three Shades of Social Media Communication

Anna Maria Górska ()
Additional contact information
Anna Maria Górska: Human Resources Department, Kozminski University, 03-301 Warszawa, Poland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: This study analyzed the social media communication of six higher education institutions (HEIs) in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic within the context of university social responsibility (USR). The study used a mixed-method approach, conducting both quantitative and qualitative analyses of 5547 social media posts published by HEIs on their official Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube accounts. The analysis identified three rhetorical strategies that were used by HEIs during the pandemic: Business as Usual , We are Great !, and We are Together . The study found that when compared to posts not related to COVID-19, the posts concerning the pandemic achieved higher interaction and broader reach on social media platforms. Facebook and Twitter emerged as the most frequently utilized platforms for crisis communication. This study thus underscores the role of social media as a vital tool for HEIs to use to fulfill their USR by actively engaging with stakeholders and fostering community solidarity and education during crises. The findings also advocate for using HEIs to harness social media not merely for information dissemination, but also as a platform for active stakeholder engagement and community support, both integral to their social responsibilities during challenging times.

Keywords: crisis communication; social media utilization; higher education institutions; HEI crisis communication styles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/9/3619/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/9/3619/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:9:p:3619-:d:1383248

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().