Crisis Timeline

Are there more communications crises now than there were 30 years ago? It would appear so, or, at the very least, social media has enabled messages to disseminate more quickly than ever before. Rather than relying on journalists to tell the story, we have Twitter, which can get any piece of information out into the world instantaneously. The old system, when stories were carefully vetted and curated, is much less of a reality these days. Journalists, citizen journalists, employees, and customers alike, have a similar level of access to the digital world. All it takes is a mobile device with Wi-Fi and you can reach the world.

Navigator has compiled a number of memorable crises from the past, from product recalls to hoaxes perpetrated on companies. Has social media helped accelerate modern crises or even instigated them? Or, perhaps it’s our access and exposure to information about these crises that has increased, rather than the number or frequency. You be the judge.