Public risk perception of cruise travel on social media: A collective sensemaking perspective

Social media is an important crisis communication channel, which can shape the public's risk perception and subsequently affect their attitudes, decisions, and behaviors. The significance of social-mediated crisis communication is further highlighted in times of a global pandemic, given people's increasing informational needs and reliance on social media. Guided by the Social Amplification of Risk Framework, this study explores the Chinese public's risk perception of cruise travel from a collective sensemaking perspective. This study used netnography to analyze 78,373 Weibo posts about cruise travel. The findings revealed the process of personal-level risk perceptions evolving into societal-level risk perceptions. The findings further demonstrated how the perceived risk of cruise travel was amplified by activating emotional contagion and public consensus. The role played by co-presence, social norms, and cultural values to amplify societal-level risk was highlighted. Finally, this study discusses the theoretical and managerial implications for managing public risk perception during pandemic times for cruise travel.