Thesis
Public relations via the X platform : a critical study of crisis communication issued by Saudi governmental organisations during Covid-19
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2025
- Thesis identifier
- T17409
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201853412
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- This study critically examines crisis communication strategies employed by the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Education (MOE) on the X platform during the Covid-19 pandemic. Effective crisis communication is crucial for disseminating accurate information, addressing public concerns, and mitigating the spread of the virus. Social media platforms, particularly X, have facilitated real-time engagement between government organisations and the public. Understanding how Saudi governmental organisations utilised X for crisis communication is essential for evaluating their potential effectiveness and identifying areas for improvement. The top 100 most retweeted posts from each ministry during 2020 were selected for analysis. Thematic analysis and discourse analysis were employed to examine tweet content, language, and crisis communication strategies. The analysis of the selected tweets reveals several key findings regarding the crisis communication strategies of the MOH and MOE. The analysis illustrates four main themes (News and updates, call to action, awareness and education, and reassurance and empathy) along with subthemes. News and updates and call to action tweets were prominent in the early stages, focusing on disease information and transmission. However, there was a potential gap in awareness messaging, indicating the need for improved communication to promote preventive behaviours. Reassurance and empathy were important in engaging the public and fostering trust during the crisis. Moreover, the analysis revealed distinct engagement patterns across tweet types. Informational posts tended to generate higher levels of retweets, while tweets announcing directives and government policies were more likely to elicit responses in the form of comments. This research is significant as it reformulates the Western crisis communication model by emphasizing the addition of cultural elements. The study demonstrates that the Saudi government uses a distinct messaging style in their crisis communication that aligns with Saudi cultural and religious values (for instance, family-oriented messages and religious appeals in messages). The study suggests that the use of local or cultural elements in posts could be effective in crisis management. Further research is needed to explore crisis communication on other social media platforms and compare crisis responses across different settings.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Jajdelska, Elspeth
- Eckler, Petya
- Higgins, Michael, 1967
- Resource Type
- DOI
Relations
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PDF of thesis T17409 | 2025-06-20 | Public | Download |