Politikos lyderio krizių komunikacija socialiniuose tinkluose COVID-19 pandemijos laikotarpiu

Abstract

Effective crisis communication by a political leader can be significant in managing a pandemic situation. In this article, we examine Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda's crisis communication on the social network Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic. We use a mixed content analysis method to analyse the posts published on the president's account between 2020 and 2021. Our research showed that Gitanas Nauseda recognised the health crisis caused by COVID-19 early and spread clear and empathetic messages that calmed residents and informed them on how to behave during the pandemic. However, due to the low frequency, the president's communication was barely seen and heard. In addition, there was no cooperation with the national government in the crisis communication. These factors may have led to a relatively small president's crisis communication role in the COVID-19 pandemic management in Lithuania.