While valuable findings and insights have been uncovered in this work, it has also had several limitations, and gaps for future research were uncovered.
• The field of social media practice is ahead of theory and information quickly gets out-dated. Only since the project started, new platforms have arrived and the widely adopted platforms regularly make changes to applications. This also means that the social media platforms discussed will be changed only a short time from now. This point also re-emphasises the importance of frequent updates and rehearsals of crisis communication plans.
• The study only adopted qualitative research and only six persons were interviewed, all representing some of Norway’s largest organisations. The findings are therefore not representative for other Norwegian organisations. It would be interesting to investigate whether smaller organisations have the same understanding and formal preparedness to use social media in a crisis, and a quantitative survey would be valuable to give a broader view of Norwegian organisations’ level of implementation of social media in crisis communication plans.
• The study took a general approach to organisational crises. It was found that the kind of organisation and the sector it operates in influences its approach to crisis management and planning. An interesting further approach could focus on differences of approach between different industries, or on more specific types of crises.
• All the interviewees were communication professionals. It would be interesting to get the view of board members and chief executives, to get their view on social media as a crisis communication tool, and the need for planning.
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