Students as Information Responders and Creators during a University Shooting

Crises are phenomenally complex communicative events that require swift, intentional, and fluid communication. Although organizations are typically equipped to engage in crisis communication, organizational stakeholders may unwittingly become interwoven into these communication efforts because of their relationship with the organization. As an extension to earlier work, the current study seeks to add to crisis communication knowledge by nuancing the communicative processes students as stakeholders undergo as they make sense of an emergent crisis and as they decide whom to message, via what channels, and how to frame the news for others. A six-condition experiment considers the role students play as information responders and creators during a hypothetical active shooter scenario. Findings indicate that stakeholders feel compelled to participate in crisis communication actions and engage in sophisticated communication processing as they informally collaborate with the university to disseminate crisis information. Participants’ responses suggested that they consider relational expectations and the media preferences of message recipients in addition to their predilections before selecting communication vehicles and drafting messages. Common communicative frames and reactions surrounding gun violence in the United States are illuminated, and the need for better education surrounding active shooter situations is addressed.