Introduction

In the mid-2000s, social media went mainstream and substantially changed the nature of customer-brand interaction. In this introductory chapter, we provide a historic overview of the development of publicly sharing feedback, reviews, and negative sentiment. We also identify various aspects of customer feedback, including its most intriguing and challenging form: social media storms. We discuss the notion and challenges of social media storms and crisis communication, and we provide a first glimpse of the possible positive aspects of this growing phenomenon. Finally, we provide an outline of the structure of this book.

After having read this chapter, you will:

Become familiar with the concept of social media storms;

Know the historic roots of sharing in the public space reviews and negative opinions;

Understand better the dynamics of crisis communication;

Become aware that social media storms can possibly generate positive outcomes for companies and society.