Mapping Sentiments to Themes of Customer reactions on Social Media during a Security Hack: A Justice Theory Perspective

As social media continues to transform firm–customer interactions, firms must leverage customer reactions to generate actionable insights, especially in contexts (e.g., crisis events) where customer reactions are critical. Using the justice theory, we categorize customer reactions of two firms, Home Depot and Target, during the time-frame of a security hack to understand key themes/topics. We then map the themes/topics to customer sentiments in those reactions. We found that customers associate justice with simple procedures than the experience of dealing with the firm. In addition, it is critical for firms to carefully assess and control customer sentiments on social media during crisis events.