ABSTRACT
THESIS: An Exploration of the Use of Social Media in Crisis Management at Ball State
University
STUDENT: Alsulaiman, Saud A
DEGREE: Master of Arts
COLLEGE: Communication, Information, and Media
DATE: May 2013
PAGES: 71
Incorporation of social media during a crisis provides many benefits for universities,
including opening two- way communication with stakeholders, informing the public quickly with
updated information, and reaching a wide range of audiences. This case study aimed to explore
whether Ball State incorporates social media into their crisis planning and what are the main
reasons of using social media. Also, this case study aimed to see whether the university
differentiates between crisis management and an emergency response. The researcher
incorporated an online survey, Interviews, and documents to obtain detailed information about
using social media in Ball State University. The results found that Ball State incorporates social
media especially Twitter in their crisis planning. The study found that Ball State differentiates
between a crisis and an emergency.