Honors College Theses
Publication Date
5-3-2017
Major
Public Relations (B.S.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Michelle Groover
Abstract
This thesis examines how social media was used during the Chipotle Mexican Grill E. coli crisis in the United States from October 19, 2015, to February 8, 2016. This content analysis research project will examine how social media, more specifically Twitter and Facebook, were used by Chipotle and the general public during the time of the crisis. Social media posts from this time will be reviewed in order to determine how the public felt or reacted to the information, positive, negative, or neutral. Specific handles were used to identify the “tweets” and “statuses” posted during this time. Crisis communication and Coombs’ Situational Crisis Community Theory, were studied to better understand the reaction and reasoning behind Chipotle’s and the general publics’ portrayal of the E. coli outbreak.
Recommended Citation
Grulke, Christin F., "A Study of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s E. Coli Outbreak Through Social Media" (2017). Honors College Theses. 260.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/honors-theses/260
