ENTERTAINING CRISIS: WHAT 21ST CENTURY CORPORATIONS CAN LEARN FROM THE RHETORIC OF CRISIS IN FILM AND COMPUTER GAMES

Abstract

This project aims to discover if there is useful overlap between the recommended rhetorical responses to crises as defined by organizational communication specialists and the rhetorical responses frequently portrayed in various forms of mass media entertainment. Specifically, it investigates the potential effectiveness of these mass mediated crisis portrayals and identifies whether the rhetoric of crisis depicted in them could help inform and educate organizational responders to better communicate internally in crisis scenarios. This research may provide a better understanding of how rhetoric in real and fictive contexts works to shape real-world responses to crises.