Redes sociales en la comunicación de crisis crónicas: análisis comparativo de Instagram y TikTok en el Gobierno del Ecuador

Cristian Lozano-Recalde

doi:10.5294/pacla.2025.28.4.3

Authors

Cristian Lozano-Recalde Author Universitat Pompeu Fabra https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8459-8377

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2025.28.4.3

Keywords:

Content analysis, chronic crises, political crisis, crisis communication, social media

Abstract

Unlike acute crises, chronic crises develop gradually and are generated by underlying conflicts. These situations are common in the political sphere, where governments inherit problems and errors from previous administrations. This study examines the use of Instagram and TikTok in government communication during chronic crises, taking the Government of Ecuador as a case study. Two crises from 2024 are analyzed: the internal armed conflict and the energy crisis. The methodology is qualitative and comparative, based on content analysis of posts from the official accounts of the Presidency and the Government Communication Secretariat. The results show that Instagram and TikTok were used similarly in both cases, although the communication strategy varied according to the circumstances of each crisis. TikTok was primarily used to replicate Instagram content, but less frequently, highlighting the absence of a specific strategy for this platform. Moreover, Instagram generated between 81,9% and 98,4% of total video views during both crises. The study concludes that chronic crises can offer strategic advantages to authorities when responsibility attribution is low and the most urgent effects are brought under control, even if long-term solutions are not achieved. Future research could further explore the use of exploitation strategies and their long-term effectiveness in shaping public attribution of responsibility toward authorities.

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