Health communication on social media at the early stage of the pandemic: Examining health professionals’ COVID-19 related tweets

Focusing on health professionals’ tweets regarding COVID-19, this study examines whether and how those tweets are unique based on their identity as health experts. The data revealed that the infusion of health communication with political opinions, whether pro- or against certain political parties o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science & medicine (1982) 2024-04, Vol.347, p.116748-116748, Article 116748
Main Authors: Li, Yao-Tai, Chen, Man-Lin, Lee, Hsuan-Wei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
COVID-19
Health communication
Health professionals
Network analysis
Sentiment analysis
Topic analysis
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Summary:Focusing on health professionals’ tweets regarding COVID-19, this study examines whether and how those tweets are unique based on their identity as health experts. The data revealed that the infusion of health communication with political opinions, whether pro- or against certain political parties or health policies, reflects values and may deviate from the original purpose of health communication. In addition, sentiment analysis countered the intuitive thought that health experts merely fulfill their role as neutral encyclopedias without excessively carrying sentiment. We conclude by reflecting on the meaning of health communication in relation to the political stances of professionals. •Health professionals' tweets could involve political remarks.•The majority of users could not be identified with any shared patterns.•Yet the tweets show there are two clusters along with anti- and pro-Trump stances.•Health professionals' sentiments also align with their political attitudes.
ISSN:0277-9536
1873-5347
DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116748