The Multiplicity and Dynamics of Functional Crisis Memories in Crisis Communication: How Chinese Social Media Users Collectively Reconstructed SARS during COVID-19

By incorporating the concept of collective memory into the field of crisis communication, this study examined crisis memories (i.e., SARS memories) that were collectively constructed on social media to help make sense of and respond to an unfolding crisis (i.e., COVID-19). From a content analysis of 4,673 Weibo posts, along with a repost network analysis of these posts, various functional crisis memories constructed by multiple users (multiplicity) and in different stages (dynamics) were identified. Our findings provide a new perspective on crisis communication and management by including crisis memories as an extended part of multivocal crisis communication. We suggest that memory narratives surrounding similar past crises can be utilized as important information and resources in crisis communication, especially during public health crises with high uncertainty and widespread effects. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings for crisis communication are discussed.

通过将集体记忆这一概念纳入危机沟通领域, 本研究考察了在中国社交媒体上为了帮助人们更好理解和应对正在发生的危机 (即新冠肺炎疫情) 而集体构建的危机记忆 (即非典记忆) 。通过对4673个微博帖子的内容分析, 以及对这些帖子的转发网络分析, 本研究讨论了由不同用户类型在不同危机阶段共同构建的各类功能性危机记忆, 体现了其多样性和动态性。将危机记忆视为如今日渐融合多重声音的危机沟通的一个延伸部分, 本研究为危机沟通及其管理提供了一个新的视角, 即围绕过去相似危机的记忆叙述可以用作当下危机沟通中的重要信息和资源, 特别是在具有高度不确定性和广泛社会影响的突发公共卫生危机中。最后, 本研究探讨了危机记忆对于危机沟通的各种理论和实践意义。