Tweeting After Terrorism: A Content Analysis Of Twitter Crisis Communication Following The 2016 Brussels Bombings, Dataset

This study attempted to further the literature by showing how crisis communication and social media share a common foundation in strategic communication management. A content analysis, along with insights from a social network analysis, was used to better understand not only how information diffused across a governmentally-centered Twitter network following the 2016 Brussels bombings, but how specific types of strategic digital content performed. A sample of 1,187 tweets suggested that emotionally-neutral tweets from government agencies functionally diffused better across the social network, while more sentimental tweets from politicians performed better in a reputation management context. Such findings contribute to the literature on communication, political science, and management scholarship by conceptually and empirically showing how interdisciplinary research can serve as a strategic bridge between a multitude of actors interested in crisis communication research and practice.