Abstract
This study presents the Co-oriented Scansis (CoS) model, which provides a comprehensive understanding of scansis—a recently identified crisis type integrated into the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). Using a crisis case of Scatter Lab, a South Korean AI company, as a model case, the study applies the CoS model to analyze the perceptions and meta-perceptions of both the organization and the public regarding the crisis. The data collection involved three official statements released by Scatter Lab and an analysis of 365 reviews from the Google Play users' reviews page of Science of Love—the app used by Scatter Lab to collect intimate conversations between romantic partners. The findings highlight the utility of the CoS model in explaining how Scatter Lab’s AI crisis evolved into a scansis. Specifically, the organization’s failure to accurately comprehend the public’s perception of the crisis (second level co-orientation) and the resulting discrepancy between the organization and the public’s perceptions (third level co-orientation) contributed to moral outrage, ultimately leading to a scansis. The study concludes by discussing the theoretical contributions of the CoS model and its practical implications for crisis management.