Rhetoric and communication in interactions with the civilian population in emergency contexts: the role of specialists
Keywords:
crisis communication, rhetorical strategies, digital platforms, artificial intelligence, civil protection
Abstract
This study examines rhetorical and communicative strategies employed by civil protection specialists during emergency situations, focusing on the role of digital platforms and artificial intelligence in shaping public trust, behavioral responses, and information resilience. The research is based on a comparative analysis of official statistical indicators and institutional reports from Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania for the period 2021–2024. Quantitative indicators of crisis communication effectiveness, including response time, use of digital channels, clarification rates, and disinformation incidents, were combined with qualitative content analysis of international policy documents and academic literature on crisis rhetoric, digital communication, and AI-assisted information management. The findings show that higher levels of digital integration correlate with faster response times and lower rates of clarification requests and disinformation. Nevertheless, communication effectiveness is determined primarily by message clarity, standardization, and rhetorical structure rather than by message volume. Digital platforms and artificial intelligence enhance crisis communication only when integrated with coherent rhetorical strategies and ethical governance principles, emphasizing the need for unified communicative guidelines and targeted professional training.
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References
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Bhoi, Ashutosh; Bhuyan, Himadri B. G. S.; Nayak, Rajendra Prasad; Balabantaray, Rakesh Chandra; Pattanaik, Anmol; Chinmay, Ayes. (2025). “Smart crisis response leveraging social media content for effective disaster management”. Discover Computing. Vol. 28. p. 263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10791-025-09749-1
Bimenyimana, Pierre Celestin; Synnes, Ronald Mayora; Rutembesa, Eugene; Bukuluki, Paul. (2025). “Social media and self-resilience during pandemics: Experiences from youth volunteers in Rwanda”. Discover Social Science and Health. Vol. 5. p. 68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-025-00223-3
Christensen, Lise Lotte Weilgaard; Madsen, Bodil Nistrup. (2020). “A Danish terminological ontology of incident management in the field of disaster management”. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management. Vol. 28, No. 4. pp. 466–478. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12334
Erokhin, Dmitry; Komendantova, Nadejda. (2024). “Social media data for disaster risk management and research”. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Vol. 114. 104980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104980
European Commission. (2024). Preventing and managing disaster risk in Europe. Publications Office of the European Union. https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/civil_protection/swd_preventing_and_managing_disaster_risks_in_europe.pdf
European Commission. (2025). Annual activity report 2024 - European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). https://commission.europa.eu/publications/annual-activity-report-2024-european-civil-protection-and-humanitarian-aid-operations-echo_en
Eurostat. (2024). Civil protection statistics: Emergency response and operational indicators 2023–2024. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
Ginzarly, Manal; Teller, Jacques. (2025). “Leveraging social media for resilient cultural heritage: a people-centred conceptual framework for community engagement and crisis response”. Built Heritage. Vol. 9. p. 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-025-00209-9
Hoang, Thoa; Noy, Ilan. (2020). “Wellbeing after a managed retreat: Observations from a large New Zealand program”. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Vol. 48. 101589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101589
Larsson, Aron; Große, Christine. (2023). “Data use and data needs in critical infrastructure risk analysis”. Journal of Risk Research. Vol. 26, No. 5. pp. 524–546. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2023.2181858
Lian, Chenxi; Guo, Yanan; Liu, Jida. (2025). “Exploring the Robustness of Emergency Response Networks by Considering Task Association and Reassignment: An Extreme Rainstorm Case”. Int J Disaster Risk Sci. Vol. 16. pp. 817–831. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-025-00670-1
Mole, Patrick; Noche, Elmar B.; Hortizuela, Richard D. (2025). “Using social media in disaster management and emergency response: A literature review”. AIP Conference Proceedings. Vol. 3287, No. 1. 030019. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0262364
Molinari, Daniela; De Bruijn, Karin; Castillo-Rodríguez, Jesica; Aronica, Giuseppe; Bouwer, Laurens. (2019). “Validation of flood risk models: Current practice and possible improvements”. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Vol. 33. pp. 441–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.10.022
Noor, Naiyara; Okhai, Naiyara; Jamal, Tasnuba Binte; Kapucu, Naim; Ge, Yue Gurt; Hasan, Samiul. (2024). “Social-media-based crisis communication: Assessing the engagement of local agencies in Twitter during Hurricane Irma”. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights. Vol. 4, No. 2. 100236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2024.100236
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2023). Crisis management and risk governance data review. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-reviews-of-risk-management-policies_19934106.html
Park, Sora; Atkinson, Susan; Fulton, Janet; Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle; Mani, Lara. (2024). “Communicating in crisis: Community practices of online participation during extreme events”. In D. Del Favero, S. Thurow, M. J. Ostwald, U. Frohne (Eds.), Climate disaster preparedness: Arts, research, innovation and society. Springer. pp. 265–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-56114-6_15
Pelfrey, William V. (2021). “Emergency manager perceptions of the effectiveness and limitations of mass notification systems: A mixed method study”. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Vol. 18, No. 1. pp. 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1515/jhsem-2019-0070
Rizal, Edwin; Winoto, Yunus; Sugito, Toto; Nugroho, Catur; Septian, Falih, I. (2025). “Disaster communication in the digital age: A community-based case study of media, education, and local knowledge in Pangandaran, Indonesia”. Frontiers in Communication. Vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1632436
Ross, Ashley D.; Siebeneck, Laura; Wu, Hao-Che; Kopczynski, Sarah; Nepal, Samir; Sauceda, Miranda. (2024). “Seven Challenges for Risk Communication in Today’s Digital Era: The Emergency Manager’s Perspective”. Sustainability. Vol. 16, No. 24. 11306. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162411306
Sahani, Mateus Kambale; Maat, Harro; Balabanova, Dina; Woldie, Mirkuzie; Richards, Paul; PARES Research Group; Mayhew, Susannah. (2024). “Engaging communities as partners in health crisis response: A realist-informed scoping review for research and policy”. Health Research Policy and Systems. Vol. 22. p. 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-024-01139-1
Saka, Tugce Nuray; Hormiga, Esther; Valls-Pasola, Jaume. (2025). “Crisis response strategies: a digital reluctance perspective”. Rev Manag Sci. Vol. 19. pp. 2569–2607. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-024-00822-5
Seneviratne, Krisanthi; Nadeeshani, Malka; Senaratne, Sepani; Perera, Srinath. (2024). “Use of Social Media in Disaster Management: Challenges and Strategies”. Sustainability. Vol. 16, No. 11. 4824. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114824
Shetty, Nisha P.; Bijalwan, Yash; Chaudhari, Pranav; Shetty, Jayashree; Muniyal, Balachandra. (2025). “Disaster assessment from social media using multimodal deep learning”. Multimedia Tools and Applications. Vol. 84. pp. 18829–18854. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-024-19818-0
Tao, Zhigang; Shi, Yuchen. (2025). “The dynamic collaboration in crisis communication: a complex adaptive systems perspective”. Humanit Soc Sci Commun. Vol. 12. 1883. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-06155-2
Torpan, Sten; Hansson, Sten; Orru, Kati; Rhinard, Mark; Savadori, Lucia; Jukarainen, Pirjo; Navestad, Tor-Olav; Meyer, Sunniva Frislid; Schellekens, Abriel; Lovasz, Gabriella. (2023). “European emergency managers on social media: Institutional arrangements and guidelines”. International Journal of Emergency Services. Vol. 13, No. 1. pp. 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-08-2022-0041
UCP Knowledge Network. (2024). EDPP2_C1 smart investments report. European Civil Protection Knowledge Network. https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/system/files/2024-05/EDPP2_C1%20Smart%20Investments%20report.pdf
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. (2023). Global assessment report on disaster risk reduction 2023: Data annex. UNDRR. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4022485?ln=ru&v=pdf
Vicari, Rosa; Komendatova, Nadejda; Elroy, Or; Dallo, Irina; Rapaport, Carmit; de Carolis, Camille; Yosipof, Abraham. (2025). “A toolbox to deal with misinformation in disaster risk management”. AI Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-025-02680-5
Published
2026-03-29
How to Cite
Verbytska, L., Babii, I., Konivitska, T., Kulchytska, M., & Khlypavka, H. (2026). Rhetoric and communication in interactions with the civilian population in emergency contexts: the role of specialists. Interacción Y Perspectiva, 16(2), 733-749. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19255801
Section
Artículos de Investigación
