Crisis Communication in the Digital Age: An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Framework with Insights from the Airline Industry

Modern organizational crises are multifaceted events requiring integrated communication strategies. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for crisis communication in the digital age, synthesizing sociological, psychological, economic, and communication science perspectives. Through a theoretical approach of interdisciplinary literature analysis, the present paper defines “crisis” from each viewpoint and examine how these lenses collectively inform effective digital crisis communication. The framework highlights that crises disrupt social order and collective trust. The study discusses how an integrated approach can guide communication strategies, such as fostering community cohesion, providing psychological reassurance, ensuring transparency about financial impacts, and maintaining dialogue through digital media, to improve stakeholder trust and crisis outcomes. The airline sector is highlighted as an illustrative example because it was among the hardest hit industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conclusions underscore the importance of blending social, emotional, economic, and strategic communication considerations in managing crises and call for further research on interdisciplinary crisis communication models.