Language matters: Applying discursive psychology to media monitoring, crisis communication, and issue management

So far, there has been limited interaction between the field of discursive psychology, crisis communication and issue management, despite the relevance of discursive approaches for understanding how meaning, responsibility, and emotions are negotiated during crises and issues.

To address this gap, this study explores how insights from discursive psychology can be operationalized for crisis communication and issue management practice. We developed a learning environment, the Bird's Eye Perspective (BEP), which includes an analytical tool, BEP360. This tool uses a set of algorithms to identify and provide feedback on different linguistic strategies employed in online discussions around issues and crises. The study draws on qualitative feedback from media monitoring professionals (n = 13) who engaged with the BEP360 learning environment.

While participants did not always perceive immediate added value of the BEP360 tool, their feedback indicates openness to applying discursive psychology in crisis and issue contexts beyond this specific implementation. This openness should be interpreted in light of the fact that most participants reported no prior familiarity with discursive psychology, while some participants (n = 5) indicated a need for additional explanation and guidance regarding both discursive psychological concepts and the affordances of the tool.

Discursive psychology offers valuable analytical perspectives for crisis communication and issue management practice. At the same time, effective application requires targeted training to support professionals in interpreting linguistic patterns and applying these insights in real-time media monitoring contexts.