From press releases to dashboards: A teaching case on social media crisis communication

What the paper says

In an era defined by digital immediacy and heightened public expectations, social media platforms have become indispensable for crisis communication. Universities, governments, and humanitarian organizations increasingly rely on integrated dashboards to monitor conversations, disseminate information, and engage stakeholders in real time. This teaching case traces the evolution of crisis communication models, highlighting the strategic shift from traditional press offices to dashboard-driven approaches. Drawing on examples such as universities adopting dashboards during public health emergencies, it explores the organizational, technical, and social dimensions of this transformation, including challenges of misinformation, cultural sensitivity, and governance complexity. By situating social media dashboards within broader debates on transparency, trust, and ethical responsibility, the case provides a framework for evaluating their role as both enablers and disruptors of crisis management. Learners are invited to critically assess trade-offs between speed and accuracy, centralization and inclusivity, and short-term responsiveness versus long-term resilience. Ultimately, the case underscores how strategically governed social media platforms can empower institutions to navigate crises with agility, credibility, and accountability.