Abstract:

Crisis is a chaotic state that damages the operational processes of corporations and there is a limited time to solve it. Because they occur on unexpected times, while the solution mechanisms of the crisis go insufficient, the panic and worries disrupt the communication of the corporation with the target audience. So that, overcoming the crisis depends on the success of the crisis management processes and strong communication/public relations strategies. The increasing power of social media in daily life as a news source, strengthen the position of these mediums in crisis communication strategies. When it is used rightly, social media has a potential to decrease the negative effects of crisis despite its feature letting the rumours travel easy. In other words, it is a need to apply to social media for fulfilling the needs of society for news and for decreasing the bad effects of rumors or gossips in crisis. In this study, the social media strategies of foremost automotive producers in the world during the emission crisis-September 2015, is examined. The official Facebook and twitter profiles of Turkish automotive companies which are effected by emission crisis are analyzed using content analysis method. The strategies of these companies on responding the crisis on social media is argued according to the criteria which are suggested by usage of social media for crisis communication. It is found out in this study that companies do not sufficiently follow the criteria about strategies of responding the crises in social media.

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