Social media and culture clash: Examining cultural influence on Facebook crisis communication in Botswana
Multicultural crisis communication in Botswana has become complex due to the country’s various ethnicities and cultures. Facebook remains a dominant communication platform, but traditional media is also used to cover organisational exigencies. However, there is a lack of research guiding public rela...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Johannesburg
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Communicare |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/2468 |
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| author | Chedza Simon |
| author_facet | Chedza Simon |
| author_sort | Chedza Simon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Multicultural crisis communication in Botswana has become complex due to the country’s various ethnicities and cultures. Facebook remains a dominant communication platform, but traditional media is also used to cover organisational exigencies. However, there is a lack of research guiding public relations (PR) practitioners in multicultural crisis communication in Botswana, and this study addresses this gap. Semi-structured interviews with 20 Botswana PR practitioners revealed that they use Facebook to manage crises, but do not engage in online dialogue with the public. Instead, they post status updates and switch to offline cultural communication platforms for face-to-face dialogue. This article proposes and introduces a Botswana-focused model, the Cross Cloverleaf Relationship Model (CCRM), that probably resonates with similar contexts in Sub-Saharan African countries. The model facilitates authentic crisis communication between Facebook and the kgotla system, Botswana's traditional and cultural communication platform. I suggest that multinational companies may find the kgotla system helpful during emergencies in Botswana.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5d2a4872c2804d04847a623d428958da |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0259-0069 2957-7950 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Johannesburg |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communicare |
| spelling | doaj-art-5d2a4872c2804d04847a623d428958da2025-01-20T08:39:40ZengUniversity of JohannesburgCommunicare0259-00692957-79502023-12-0142210.36615/jcsa.v42i2.2468Social media and culture clash: Examining cultural influence on Facebook crisis communication in BotswanaChedza Simon0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4479-1150Swansea UniversityMulticultural crisis communication in Botswana has become complex due to the country’s various ethnicities and cultures. Facebook remains a dominant communication platform, but traditional media is also used to cover organisational exigencies. However, there is a lack of research guiding public relations (PR) practitioners in multicultural crisis communication in Botswana, and this study addresses this gap. Semi-structured interviews with 20 Botswana PR practitioners revealed that they use Facebook to manage crises, but do not engage in online dialogue with the public. Instead, they post status updates and switch to offline cultural communication platforms for face-to-face dialogue. This article proposes and introduces a Botswana-focused model, the Cross Cloverleaf Relationship Model (CCRM), that probably resonates with similar contexts in Sub-Saharan African countries. The model facilitates authentic crisis communication between Facebook and the kgotla system, Botswana's traditional and cultural communication platform. I suggest that multinational companies may find the kgotla system helpful during emergencies in Botswana. https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/2468Crisis communicationkgotla systemthird culture buildinginterculturalmulticulturalethnic |
| spellingShingle | Chedza Simon Social media and culture clash: Examining cultural influence on Facebook crisis communication in Botswana Communicare Crisis communication kgotla system third culture building intercultural multicultural ethnic |
| title | Social media and culture clash: Examining cultural influence on Facebook crisis communication in Botswana |
| title_full | Social media and culture clash: Examining cultural influence on Facebook crisis communication in Botswana |
| title_fullStr | Social media and culture clash: Examining cultural influence on Facebook crisis communication in Botswana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social media and culture clash: Examining cultural influence on Facebook crisis communication in Botswana |
| title_short | Social media and culture clash: Examining cultural influence on Facebook crisis communication in Botswana |
| title_sort | social media and culture clash examining cultural influence on facebook crisis communication in botswana |
| topic | Crisis communication kgotla system third culture building intercultural multicultural ethnic |
| url | https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/2468 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chedzasimon socialmediaandcultureclashexaminingculturalinfluenceonfacebookcrisiscommunicationinbotswana |