Abstract
This paper examines the role of the Food Bank Campaign as civic activism during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on strategic communication through social media by Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia. Using content analysis of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts, along with interviews, the study explores how different communication strategies affected public engagement. In addition, sentiment analysis was conducted using the Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner (VADER) tool to assess the emotional tone of audience responses across platforms. Grounded in Framing Theory, PR Excellence Theory, and Strategic Communication Theory, the study highlights the importance of two-way communication in building lasting relationships with stakeholders. Findings show that engagement levels varied based on message content, visuals, and the parties involved, with grassroots communities and corporate partners playing key roles. However, gaps in responding to underprivileged communities’ inquiries were identified. The paper underscores the importance of interactive, two-way communication in fostering long-term relationships with stakeholders, offering practical insights for NGOs on how to effectively use social media for civic activism both during and after crises.
Abstrak
Artikel ini mengkaji peranan Kempen Food Bank sebagai satu bentuk aktivisme sivik semasa pandemik COVID-19, dengan memberi tumpuan kepada komunikasi strategik melalui media sosial oleh Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia. Dengan menggunakan analisis kandungan terhadap hantaran di Facebook, Instagram dan Twitter, serta temu bual, kajian ini meneliti bagaimana strategi komunikasi yang berbeza mempengaruhi penglibatan awam. Selain itu, analisis sentimen turut dijalankan menggunakan alat Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner (VADER) bagi menilai nada emosi respons khalayak merentas platform. Berpandukan Teori Pembingkaian, Teori Kecemerlangan Perhubungan Awam dan Teori Komunikasi Strategik, kajian ini menekankan kepentingan komunikasi dua hala dalam membina hubungan yang berterusan dengan pihak berkepentingan. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa tahap penglibatan berbeza berdasarkan kandungan mesej, visual dan pihak yang terlibat, dengan komuniti akar umbi dan rakan korporat memainkan peranan penting. Walau bagaimanapun, jurang dalam memberikan respons terhadap pertanyaan komuniti kurang berkemampuan turut dikenal pasti. Artikel ini menegaskan kepentingan komunikasi dua hala yang interaktif dalam memupuk hubungan jangka panjang dengan pihak berkepentingan, di samping menawarkan panduan praktikal kepada NGO tentang cara menggunakan media sosial secara berkesan untuk aktivisme sivik, sama ada semasa mahupun selepas krisis.
Drawing from the assumptions on queer and mobile intimacy, emotion work, and care, this paper explores the role of mobile communication platform access and use among Filipino gay couples who have been physically separated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper looks at in-depth narratives of 24 gay men whose romances have been transferred to and transformed by messaging apps due to the pandemic. The accounts of these gay couples represent the realities of cosmopolitan gay men in negotiating digital romantic presence as they manage connection despite the distance. Mobile technologies have deepened the synchronous and asynchronous rituals of maneuvering romance as couples manage imagined emphatic romances. The participants’ descriptions revealed queered technology-use in bridging and maintaining imagined intimacies while feeling trapped in the dependence on mediated means of enacting such intimacies.
Many studies have examined crisis management in various business sectors. However, COVID-19 has presented unique and interesting challenges. Using an online survey (n = 224 participants) and in-depth interviews, profiling public relations professionals’ communication strategies in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic based on gender was investigated. The findings reveal that male and female public relations practitioners have specific understandings of the COVID-19 pandemic, ways in facing the crisis, and differing public relations activities during the pandemic. They regard this pandemic as a challenge to be adoptive, innovative, and creative, enhance technology competencies, and build relationships with publics by providing up to date information. Female public relations practitioners use social media more than males and give more attention to communication programs dealing with customers, while male counterparts focus on capturing the market by strengthening the organization’s image and reputation through publicity in conventional media.
