Public responses to COVID-19 information from the public health office on Twitter and YouTube: implications for research practice

ABSTRACT

We collected tweets directed at the official Twitter account of the Canadian Public Health Office as well as comments on a Canadian Public Health Office press conference posted to YouTube. We used a mixed method corpus-assisted discourse analysis approach to categorize and analyze these data. We found key differences between comments on each platform, namely differences in tone and sarcasm in YouTube comments, and more balance in Twitter mentions. Findings suggest that studying public responses to health information on one platform in isolation does not provide an accurate picture. To generate a fuller picture of misinformation, researchers should conduct studies across digital platforms using diverse methods. This research could influence how studies of health communication and public opinion are approached in the future.

KEYWORDS:

• Social media
• COVID-19
• public opinion
• YouTube
• Twitter
• methods
• interdisciplinary approaches

Ethics

This research is exempt from research ethics review because it relies on information that is publicly available and for which there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the assistance of XXX in collecting Twitter data.

Data availability

This paper uses social media data that was publicly available at the time of data collection. To honor Canadian ethics guidelines and user intent as per Twitter guidelines, the Twitter dataset is not made publicly available. To honor Canadian ethics guidelines, the YouTube dataset is not made publicly available, though the publicly available comments are available at: https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=BwvY76-6gbQ.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Notes

1. https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=BwvY76-6gbQ

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) [CoV Rapid Call for Proposals, CoV Rapid funding opportunity].

Notes on contributors

George Veletsianos

Dr George Veletsianos is Professor and Canada Research Chair in Innovative Learning & Technology at Royal Roads University. His research aims to understand and improve teaching, learning, and participation in digital learning environments, and focuses on learner and faculty experiences surrounding online learning, flexible learning, networked scholarship, open education, and emerging technopedagogical practices. He blogs at http://www.veletsianos.com

Shandell Houlden

Dr Shandell Houldenis a Postdoctoral Researcher at Royal Roads University. She studies flexible education, online misinformation, and climate  communication.