Social Media and Crisis Management: The Case Study of Cambridge Analytica

Abstract

The ever-growing use of new communication technologiesand their evolving functionality transform the use of social media in businesses. The views of socialmediathatareverydifferentfromeachother,sometimeseven diametrically opposed to each other, are put forward in terms of the effects of social media on individuals, social groups and society as a whole. Especially in crisis situations, through social media, businesses tend to communicate faster with their target audiences. However, they aim to protect their image and manage their reputation. In particular, the recent example of Cambridge Analytica, a company that analyzed social media data and utilized strategic management tools on social media, has had a serious role in the US elections and the crisis management of changing political balances caused by this social change has been loudly heard. In this study, a general theoretical framework related to social media and crisis management is presented, followed by views on the Cambridge Analytica crisis and its effects on Facebook.