The paracrisis: The challenges created by publicly managing crisis prevention

Social media is emerging as critical element of scanning for many crisis risks. When these crisis risks emerge online, people often confuse them with crises and that is why we have developed the term paracrisis. Para can mean “like” something. A paracrisis is like a crisis. It can “look like” a crisis and does require action from the organization. However, a paracrisis does not warrant convening the crisis team and operating in a crisis mode. This paper details the value of paracrises, how to evaluate their threat potential, and ways to respond to them and how to evaluate those responses.

► We explain the conceptualization and value of new concept: the paracrisis. ► We detail the connection between paracrisis and crisis management with an emphasis on crisis prevention. ► We examine the relationship between the growth of paracrises and increased use of social media. ► We present communication strategies for responding to paracrises.