Mobile online communication enables users to be constantly available, anywhere and at any time (permanently online, permanently connected [POPC], e.g. Vorderer, Krömer, & Schneider, 2016). The present theoretical thesis aims at examining POPC in the context of companies’ crisis communication and refers primarily to the situational crisis communication theory (SCCT, e.g. Coombs, 2007). The analysis is chronologically structured along the (1) pre-crisis, (2) crisis response and (3) post-crisis phase while considering the POPC behavior and the POPC mindset (Vorderer, Hefner, Reinecke, & Klimmt, in press) separately. The theoretical considerations revealed differing implications of the POPC dimensions in the respective crisis phases and resulted in three aspects of change that could be associated with POPC: the ambivalent progression, the acceleration and the dialogue orientation of companies’ crisis communication. In addition, two case studies of crisis communication exemplified a change of crisis communication. To conclude, this thesis demonstrates the relevance of being POPC for the meso-level and thus advances current theoretical research on POPC and crisis communication.
Business as Usual?
Implications of Permanently Online, Permanently Connected for Companies’ Crisis Communication