ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the context in which social media storms emerge. From a management perspective, understanding social media is a prerequisite for properly managing activities conducted on social media platforms. Therefore, we first define social media and outline the main types of social media platforms. Next, we discuss the shift of power from brands to consumers and how individuals became empowered in the social media universe. Then, we provide an overview of the social drivers for change and discuss emotions in consumer behavior, with a focus on negative emotions. Finally, we discuss the consequences of negative attention towards brands, also known as anti-branding. The case study of the Croatian Railways demonstrates how the properties of social media platforms, motivation for change, and the complexity of negative emotions drove a nationwide social media storm that went beyond the company’s target market and related to a broader societal and political issue.
After reading this chapter, you will:
Understand the concept of social media and be acquainted with the classification of social media platforms;
Gain insights into how power is shifting from brands towards consumers;
Know what the social motivations for change are and how this is reflected in social media communication;
Understand the role of emotions in consumer behavior, with the emphasis on negative emotions;
Gain insights into so-called anti-branding practice and how negative emotions drive it.
