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This study aims to analyze the crisis communication conveyed on social media by the Swedish government and public authorities in connection to the crisis concerning the burnings of the Quran in Sweden in the summer 2023. The study maps the messages and framings conveyed by the government, as well as which stakeholders they addressed. Furthermore, the study outlines the crisis response strategies found in the communication, and assesses which level of responsibility the government took on. The study found that messages highlighted the government’s limited room for manoeuver in the crisis, although also framing the government as actionable. Messages also focused on the importance of dialogue with foreign muslim communities, even though communication was mostly directed towards Swedish-speaking stakeholders. The Swedish government used crisis response strategies that implied both rejection and acceptance of blame. This suggests that they took responsibility for the consequences of the crisis, although not taking responsibility for the crisis itself. Furthermore, we conclude that the crisis has become complex, as it has turned into both a reputational and a societal crisis. The actionable steps that the government communicates about revolve more around the societal crisis, and ensuring citizens safety, than around the reputational crisis, and distancing themselves from the burnings, although this was done as well. This study shows that social media has become a central arena for crisis communication and highlights the complexities of navigating both are putational and societal crisis with multiple multicultural stakeholders. |
