Parody social media accounts: Influence and impact on organizations during crisis

• We examine effects of parody social media accounts on organizations during crises.
• Crisis or paracrisis acts as a trigger event for the creation of parody accounts.
• Parody accounts worsen the relationship between audience and organizations.
• Parody accounts should never be ignored.
• Assess threat to reputation and operations before determining appropriate action.

With the uptake of the use of social media, the communication field has seen a rise in a new phenomenon: parody social media accounts. Through study of five such accounts, this paper shows how parody social media accounts can arise from a crisis or paracrisis, which is “a publicly visible crisis threat” that is triggered online (Coombs & Holladay, 2012, p. 409). The study also examines the behavior of these accounts and how they enforce negative perceptions and impede an organization's efforts and initiatives. Using the social-mediated crisis communication model as its theoretical lens, this study seeks to examine parody social media accounts and their impact on organizations in times of crisis. Finally, the paper also gives recommendations on how organizations can respond effectively to these accounts.