The Use of Social Media in Crisis Communication in an Organization: a Case of the Kenya Power Company Limited

Abstract

Based on the premise that social media is used by organizations to manage crises, the study examined the use of social media during a crisis in Kenya Power Lighting Company. The lack of gatekeeping in social media often leads to the spread of false information. It was the goal of the study to discover the specific crisis response strategies that Kenya Power and Lighting Company used when communicating during a crisis, as well as the way messages were framed in the social media posts of KPLC during the crisis period and to evaluate the feedback it received from its customers. It is based on three principles of situational crisis communication, developed by Coombs in 2006, which is a theory that combines three core elements: crisis response strategies, crisis circumstances, and a system to match crisis circumstances with crisis response strategies. In times of crisis, social media is used to connect people to relevant issues, to search for and share information, and to vent or support emotions. Data was collected qualitatively by using content analysis and interviews with key informants. Five key informants were selected to participate in the study through a purposive sampling process, including the Chief Communication Officer as well as four other Communications Officers, each chosen for their distinct expertise. Due to its larger subscriber base than the rest of KPLC's social media sites, the researcher analyzed the content on its Facebook page to collect data. The study covered the period between 11th and 13th, January, 2022 when a 220kV Suswa-Embakasi power transmission line developed a fault resulting in power outage in some parts of Nairobi. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented through narration. The researcher found out that KPLC used different crisis response strategies such as denial as well as offering apologies while communicating to its stakeholders. The researcher also found out that KPLC solely depended on press releases to officially communicate with their stakeholders and links to other social media sites such as twitter and the organizational website were included as part of the releases and this helped provide stakeholders with other sites where they could access more information relating to the crisis. The organization received both positive and negative feedback with some comments showing support while others depicting anger and dissatisfaction. The researcher recommends the adoption of other communication methods by KPLC to supplement social media sites for better engagement of stakeholders.