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NTU Management Review Vol. 35 No. 2 Oct. 2025

the recession phase. In this phase, the original message’s influence declines as it receives
minimal attention and few related posts are discussed.
The influence of a message varies depending on the topics discussed on social
media during its life cycle. A crisis resulting from a message can potentially be controlled

and managed through social media interactions and discussions. To implement a crisis
management mechanism aligned with the message life cycle, stakeholders need to monitor
online opinion and determine appropriate timing and strategies for responding, interacting,

and controlling discourse during each life cycle phase.

3. Case Analysis

We conduct a case study to clarify the four phases of the message life cycle. The case

involves a message posted on Dcard, a social media platform that enables anonymous
posts by members registered through educational institutions. Numerous forums exist
for users to discuss diverse topics. One such forum focuses on Firm A, which provides
interior decoration services and presents its work through multimedia. Many students

and professionals have been discussing the firm’s multimedia content. Specifically, the
message we aim to examine is an original post in this forum accused the firm of plagiarism
on the night of April 29, 2020. Within 48 hours, users had created 1,555 posts discussing
the claim. By July 17, 2020, the total number of posts had reached 3,907. To analyze the

original message’s influence, we employ content analysis to identify key message terms,
apply MaxQDA to examine topic relationships, and utilize Excel Power BI to analyze
topic sequences. We also conduct a field interview with Firm A’s chief executive officer
(CEO) to confirm the firm’s attitudes, decisions, and crisis management mechanisms

during the incident.
An examination of the initial 49 posts reveals two opposing perspectives. Some
users assert that Firm A had not engaged in plagiarism, whereas others submit material
supporting the plagiarism accusation. During this emergence phase of the message life

cycle, the responses, interactions, and attention directed toward the messages on social
media remained ambiguous.
The CEO of Firm A responds to the plagiarism accusation on the forum and
engages with the forum members. However, the CEO’s statements fail to convince them.

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