Communicating a sense of safety

The public experience of Swedish Police Instagram communication

Bibliographic Data

ID21696048
AuthorsJens Alvén Sjöberg (0000-0002-2033-2550, Lund University), Cecilia Cassinger (0000-0002-0052-4045, Lund University), Renira Rampazzo Gambarato (0000-0001-7631-6608, Lund University)
Year2024
Volume28
Issue3
Pages365-383
Publication date2024-07-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Communication Management (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-254X • E-ISSN: 1478-0852
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/jcom-03-2023-0033
OpenAlexW4388075309
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited48

Purpose The research aim of this article is to generate novel insights into how public sector organizations (PSOs) strategically communicate with the public about critical issues on social media. To this end, the study explores the public's experiences of the Swedish Police's sense of safety communication on Instagram in the third largest city in Sweden, where the lack of a sense of public safety is a main societal challenge. Design/methodology/approach The research was designed as a case study employing photo-elicitation interviews as a method to collect the empirical material. A phenomenography approach was used to analyze public experiences of the Swedish Police's Instagram communication in Malmö, Sweden. Findings Findings show that the police's strategic communication of safety on Instagram is experienced along the dimensions of a sense of protection, a sense of proximity and a sense of ambiguity. Taken together, these dimensions broaden and develop the knowledge of what communicating a sense of safety in the public sphere entails. Originality/value This study adds to previous research on strategic communication in public sector organizations by demonstrating what strategic communication accomplishes at the receiving end outside of the organization

Ambiguity · Business · Communication studies · Communications management · Crisis communication · Originality · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Public sector · Public sphere · Qualitative research · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Management and Organizational Studies · Public Policy and Administration Research · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Marketing

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Open DOIOpen Access