Profile

When organizations, communities or entire societies are confronted with crises or disasters, fast and responsible communication is required. This begins before crises (e.g. crisis preparation or prevention) and continues after crises. We therefore investigate, among other things, how those affected, organizations and authorities deal with crises, how traditional media report on crises and how crises are communicated about in social media. We also investigate which crisis communication strategies help to keep stakeholders fully informed about a crisis and engaged in the community-based crisis management in order to protect them from harm and to avoid losing their trust.

Technological progress, and in particular the development of digital media and artificial intelligence, has changed communication processes. We therefore deal with questions of media change, the role of social media in the context of risk and science communication, misinformation and disinformation, online opinion leaders and the diffusion of technological innovations (e.g. autonomous mobility, renewable energy). Communication from, in, and about technology-oriented organizations is also taken into account. iRisCS-Com conducts research with partners such as the Thuringian Innovation Centre for Mobility (ThIMo).