The Mechanism And Governance Of Crisis Communication Under Social Network Perspective

Crisis communication is a critical factor affecting the effectiveness of crisis management as well as a key indicator of ability of crisis management department. Correctly understand and deal effectively with crisis communication is very important on practical significance and application value to resolve crisis, reduce public panic, and maintain social stability. Taking into account the object of crisis communication is public, and according to the embedding hypotheses derived by Granovetter, the behavior of crisis communication is embedded in social network, and constrained by the network structure and relations. Therefore, this research uses social network perspective to reconstruct the dynamic process of crisis communication, deepen awareness and understanding on the process, in order to effectively solve crisis communication barriers existing in the process and provide network governance methods and policy recommendations.This dissertation considers crisis as a dynamic network emergency process. Then it deeply studies the features of stages in the process of crisis communication, constraining factors, supply-demand matching degree of crisis information and the impact of the dynamic process to social capital. This dissertation mainly covers the followings:This dissertation firstly defines the conceptual framework, from the concept and content of crisis to analyze the characteristics of modern crisis. Based on the characteristics of modern crisis, it proposes the analysis of coupling and embeddedness perspective for modern crisis. On this basis, this research reviews the development of communication theory models, applies structural approach and relationship approach of social network analysis, and proposes the related concepts of crisis communication under social network. This section provides foundation theory support for the Social Network of crisis communication research and its network governance under social network perspective.Secondly, it studies the network emergence of crisis communication. Crisis communication is a result of cognitive reaction and under the disturbance by a crisis so as to cause a network emergency process. It analyzes the two communication networks during this process, called formal and informal communication networks; based on the research and analysis on the relevant cases, it creates modeling and make simulation of the network emergence process of crisis communication, and gives analysis on the characteristics of various stages of crisis communication. It points out constraints factors on network emergency such as structure holes, hierarchy communication structure, central degree and motivation of rumors infectors, technology development and social density, strong tie and the opportunity costs of crisis information.Thirdly, it analyzes the supply-demand matching degree of crisis information. Spreading cognitive unbalance, technological uncertainty and environmental uncertainty of crisis communication, it proposes the reaction between cognitive unbalance and conditions of uncertainty, the supply-demand of crisis information has the characteristics of fuzzy and random. On this basis, it builds a fuzzy mathematical model on the matching degree of supply-demand of crisis information.Fourthly, it studies the relationship between crisis communication and social capital. Under the premise of the analysis on heterogeneous network social capital, it deconstructs crisis communication and social capital, combining with the impact of social capital on the different stages of crisis. The social capital during crisis communication consists of weak trust, informal norms and social movement, and at last they will be expression on the social movement. On this basis, the research uses of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) method, combining with case studies, and finds the impact of crisis communication on social capital.Finally, based on the above research, it dissertation puts forward policy recommendations and network governance to resolve the problems in crisis communication. It is divided into two parts, named vertical governance and network governance. Vertical governance structure includes improving the law and crisis management departments'information system; establishing a crisis communication management team in a crisis; proposing the freedom to the media in crisis as well as self-discipline in their crisis report; stressing the responsibility and obligations of experts in crisis communication. On principles of the analysis of network governance, the crisis communication network governance structure will be divided into participants, physical facilities, management and environmental conditions and use of artificial neural network model to carry on numerical analysis.Through under the social network perspective to reconstruct crisis communication process, it can further improve and enhance China's crisis management department's effectiveness during crisis communication and solve the problems such as structure holes factors, hierarchical communication structure, crisis information supply-demand mismatch, which can restrict the effectiveness of crisis management department to make effective crisis communication. Especially it has very important theoretical and practical significance for public sectors to carry on crisis communication in a crisis, make the crisis communication process controllable, improve the effectiveness of crisis management, and ensure social stability.