ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book covers current and emerging issues in social media and crisis communication, overviews of dominant research streams, emerging theories and frameworks, areas for special consideration, future directions, and applications in specific areas of crisis, including health, disaster, corporate, nonprofit and philanthropic, political, sports, and other specific crises. It provides a pivotal overview of the development of the foundational research and situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) evolution in the age of social media. The book also focuses on organizational leadership, organizational spokespeople, and organizational crisis message response types. It also provides an overview of audience-oriented approaches and activist strategies and tactics. The book also explores how activists use social media platforms for political and social activism and illustrates that social media allow mobilizing and sharing resources and building awareness, allowing activists to gain power and pressure organizations more effectively.
