Exploring the Role of Social Media in Accelerating KFC's Reputational Crisis

Abstract

This study aimed to explore how social media accelerates crisis in organizations with a focus on KFC. The objectives were, to establish how social media platforms accelerated the KFC crisis, establish key factors that influenced public perception and response toward the crisis, and establish key narratives that emerged. Contagion Theory, Social Influence Theory, and Situational Crisis Communication Theory guided the study. A case study research design located in a qualitative research approach was used. Purposive sampling was used where 903 posts/comments were sampled from X and Facebook between January and February 2022 which was the period of the crisis. A code sheet and Thematic analysis were used to collect data and analyze data respectively. The key findings in the study were that the KFC social media crisis was accelerated due to the rapid dissemination of information and the viral nature of online content. Economic factors, Social Media, and comparison of KFC with other competitors were found to be the main factors affecting perception and responses on social media. The key narratives that emerged; were proposals for a solution and KFC`s insensitivity to public outrage. The study recommendations were the franchise should engage in social responsibility programs that highlight their commitment to supporting the local economy and that the Kenyan government should carry out a comprehensive investigation into how multinational corporations procure locally produced materials or develop and execute policies that enable Kenyans to keep a portion of the foreign exchange and earnings. The study concluded that the KFC social media crisis was accelerated through social media platforms that i.e. X and Facebook, damaging their reputation.