1
|
Jing Y, Jiang G. "No man is an island": How Chinese netizens use deliberate metaphors to provide "depression sufferers" with social support. Digit Health 2024; 10:20552076241228521. [PMID: 38303971 PMCID: PMC10832413 DOI: 10.1177/20552076241228521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Online social support provides a way to positively influence depression sufferers. In the present study, we aim to analyze how social support in Chinese online depression communities is communicated through the lens of deliberate metaphor theory (DMT) to deepen the understanding of the under-researched complicated, emotionally laden, and culture-related concepts of this experience. Methods We collected data (n = 3546 comments) from the Warm Supporting section of the Depression Super Topic, a major Chinese online depression community on Weibo. The data were analyzed using a metaphorical analysis with the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit and a thematic analysis. Results Our findings identify two themes: deliberate metaphors (DMs) of depression and DMs of social environment for depression sufferers. The former conceptualizes future expectations without depression (as rosy images; victorious battles; the beaten black dog); disorder (as subtle objects; subjective initiative events); depression sufferers (as valuable objects; important roles); and present life with depression (as optional events; spiritual practices; fragile objects). The latter conceptualizes social connection (as solid objects; nonessentials); individuals in the social environment (as energetic objects; vicious roles); and prejudice (as colored objects). Conclusions The findings suggest that DMs as important online social support resources, helping to express empathy and normalize depression with more common-sense, and non-judgmental concepts. Additionally, in DMs, Chinese netizens navigate the intricate intersection of medical and moral perspectives on depression and its recovery, leveraging both aspects to offer comprehensive social support. "Confucian-based" elements are embedded in culture-related social support expressions in DMs. In practice, our findings contribute to tailored and appropriate health interventions for depression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Youping Jing
- College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Guiying Jiang
- College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Talbot A, Ford T, Ryan S, Mahtani KR, Albury C. #TreatmentResistantDepression: A qualitative content analysis of Tweets about difficult-to-treat depression. Health Expect 2023; 26:1986-1996. [PMID: 37350377 PMCID: PMC10485331 DOI: 10.1111/hex.13807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is depression unresponsive to antidepressants and affects 55% of British primary care users with depression. Current evidence is from secondary care, but long referral times mean general practitioners (GPs) manage TRD. Studies show that people with depression use Twitter to form community and document symptoms. However, Twitter remains a largely unexplored space of documented patient experience. Twitter data could provide valuable insights into learning about primary care experiences of TRD. In this study, we explored Twitter comments and conversations about TRD and produced patient-driven recommendations. METHODS Tweets from UK-based users were collected manually and using a browser extension in June 2021. Conventional content analysis was used to provide an overview of the Tweets, followed by interpretation to understand why Twitter may be important to people with TRD. RESULTS A total of 415 Tweets were organised into five clusters: self-diagnosis, symptoms, support, small wins and condition experts. These Tweets were interpreted as showing Twitter as a community for people with TRD. People had a collective sense of illness identity and were united in their experiences of TRD. However, users in the community also highlighted the absence of effective GP care, leading users to position themselves as condition experts. Users shared advice from a place of lived experience with the community but also shared potentially harmful information, including recommendations about nonevidence-based medications. CONCLUSIONS Findings illuminate the benefits of the TRD Twitter community and also highlight that the perception of a lack of knowledge and support from GPs may lead community members to advise nonevidenced-based medications. PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION This study was led by a person with lived experience of TRD and bipolar. Two public contributors with mental health conditions gave feedback on our study protocol and results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amelia Talbot
- Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences, Radcliffe Observatory QuarterUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Tori Ford
- Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences, Radcliffe Observatory QuarterUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Sara Ryan
- Department of Social Care and Social WorkManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchesterUK
| | - Kamal R. Mahtani
- Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences, Radcliffe Observatory QuarterUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Charlotte Albury
- Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences, Radcliffe Observatory QuarterUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Shi J, Khoo Z. Words for the hearts: a corpus study of metaphors in online depression communities. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1227123. [PMID: 37829080 PMCID: PMC10566633 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1227123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose/significance Humans understand, think, and express themselves through metaphors. The current paper emphasizes the importance of identifying the metaphorical language used in online health communities (OHC) to understand how users frame and make sense of their experiences, which can boost the effectiveness of counseling and interventions for this population. Methods/process We used a web crawler to obtain a corpus of an online depression community. We introduced a three-stage procedure for metaphor identification in a Chinese Corpus: (1) combine MIPVU to identify metaphorical expressions (ME) bottom-up and formulate preliminary working hypotheses; (2) collect more ME top-down in the corpus by performing semantic domain analysis on identified ME; and (3) analyze ME and categorize conceptual metaphors using a reference list. In this way, we have gained a greater understanding of how depression sufferers conceptualize their experience metaphorically in an under-represented language in the literature (Chinese) of a new genre (online health community). Results/conclusion Main conceptual metaphors for depression are classified into PERSONAL LIFE, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP, TIME, and CYBERCULTURE metaphors. Identifying depression metaphors in the Chinese corpus pinpoints the sociocultural environment people with depression are experiencing: lack of offline support, social stigmatization, and substitutability of offline support with online support. We confirm a number of depression metaphors found in other languages, providing a theoretical basis for researching, identifying, and treating depression in multilingual settings. Our study also identifies new metaphors with source-target connections based on embodied, sociocultural, and idiosyncratic levels. From these three levels, we analyze metaphor research's theoretical and practical implications, finding ways to emphasize its inherent cross-disciplinarity meaningfully.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Shi
- School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Zhaowei Khoo
- School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Putrajaya, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Shi J, Khoo Z. Online health community for change: Analysis of self-disclosure and social networks of users with depression. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1092884. [PMID: 37057164 PMCID: PMC10088863 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1092884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundA key research question with theoretical and practical implications is to investigate the various conditions by which social network sites (SNS) may either enhance or interfere with mental well-being, given the omnipresence of SNS and their dual effects on well-being.Method/processWe study SNS’ effects on well-being by accounting for users’ personal (i.e., self-disclosure) and situational (i.e., social networks) attributes, using a mixed design of content analysis and social network analysis.Result/conclusionWe compare users’ within-person changes in self-disclosure and social networks in two phases (over half a year), drawing on Weibo Depression SuperTalk, an online community for depression, and find: ① Several network attributes strengthen social support, including network connectivity, global efficiency, degree centralization, hubs of communities, and reciprocal interactions. ② Users’ self-disclosure attributes reflect positive changes in mental well-being and increased attachment to the community. ③ Correlations exist between users’ topological and self-disclosure attributes. ④ A Poisson regression model extracts self-disclosure attributes that may affect users’ received social support, including the writing length, number of active days, informal words, adverbs, negative emotion words, biological process words, and first-person singular forms.InnovationWe combine social network analysis with content analysis, highlighting the need to understand SNS’ effects on well-being by accounting for users’ self-disclosure (content) and communication partners (social networks).Implication/contributionAuthentic user data helps to avoid recall bias commonly found in self-reported data. A longitudinal within-person analysis of SNS’ effects on well-being is helpful for policymakers in public health intervention, community managers for group organizations, and users in online community engagement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Shi
- School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- *Correspondence: Jiayi Shi,
| | - Zhaowei Khoo
- School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Putrajaya, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Liu Y, Yin Z, Wan Z, Yan C, Xia W, Ni C, Clayton EW, Vorobeychik Y, Kantarcioglu M, Malin BA. Implicit Incentives Among Reddit Users to Prioritize Attention Over Privacy and Reveal Their Faces When Discussing Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Test Results: Topic and Attention Analysis. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2022; 2:e35702. [PMID: 37113452 PMCID: PMC9987181 DOI: 10.2196/35702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Background As direct-to-consumer genetic testing services have grown in popularity, the public has increasingly relied upon online forums to discuss and share their test results. Initially, users did so anonymously, but more recently, they have included face images when discussing their results. Various studies have shown that sharing images on social media tends to elicit more replies. However, users who do this forgo their privacy. When these images truthfully represent a user, they have the potential to disclose that user's identity. Objective This study investigates the face image sharing behavior of direct-to-consumer genetic testing users in an online environment to determine if there exists an association between face image sharing and the attention received from other users. Methods This study focused on r/23andme, a subreddit dedicated to discussing direct-to-consumer genetic testing results and their implications. We applied natural language processing to infer the themes associated with posts that included a face image. We applied a regression analysis to characterize the association between the attention that a post received, in terms of the number of comments, the karma score (defined as the number of upvotes minus the number of downvotes), and whether the post contained a face image. Results We collected over 15,000 posts from the r/23andme subreddit, published between 2012 and 2020. Face image posting began in late 2019 and grew rapidly, with over 800 individuals revealing their faces by early 2020. The topics in posts including a face were primarily about sharing, discussing ancestry composition, or sharing family reunion photos with relatives discovered via direct-to-consumer genetic testing. On average, posts including a face image received 60% (5/8) more comments and had karma scores 2.4 times higher than other posts. Conclusions Direct-to-consumer genetic testing consumers in the r/23andme subreddit are increasingly posting face images and testing reports on social platforms. The association between face image posting and a greater level of attention suggests that people are forgoing their privacy in exchange for attention from others. To mitigate this risk, platform organizers and moderators could inform users about the risk of posting face images in a direct, explicit manner to make it clear that their privacy may be compromised if personal images are shared.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yongtai Liu
- Department of Computer Science Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN United States
| | - Zhijun Yin
- Department of Computer Science Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN United States
- Department of Biomedical Informatics Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN United States
| | - Zhiyu Wan
- Department of Biomedical Informatics Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN United States
| | - Chao Yan
- Department of Biomedical Informatics Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN United States
| | - Weiyi Xia
- Department of Biomedical Informatics Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN United States
| | - Congning Ni
- Department of Computer Science Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN United States
| | - Ellen Wright Clayton
- School of Law, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN United States
- Department of Health Policy Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN United States
| | - Yevgeniy Vorobeychik
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO United States
| | - Murat Kantarcioglu
- Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX United States
| | - Bradley A Malin
- Department of Computer Science Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN United States
- Department of Biomedical Informatics Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN United States
- Department of Biostatistics Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Smit D, Vrijsen JN, Broekman T, Groeneweg B, Spijker J. User Engagement within the Online Peer Support Community ‘Depression Connect’ and Recovery-related Changes in Empowerment: a Longitudinal User Survey (Preprint). JMIR Form Res 2022; 6:e39912. [DOI: 10.2196/39912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
7
|
Bizzotto N, Morlino S, Schulz PJ. Misinformation in Italian Online Mental Health Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Content Analysis Study. JMIR Res Protoc 2022; 11:e35347. [PMID: 35594142 PMCID: PMC9166639 DOI: 10.2196/35347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Social media platforms are widely used by people suffering from mental illnesses to cope with their conditions. One modality of coping with these conditions is navigating online communities where people can receive emotional support and informational advice. Benefits have been documented in terms of impact on health outcomes. However, the pitfalls are still unknown, as not all content is necessarily helpful or correct. Furthermore, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and related problems, such as worsening mental health symptoms, the dissemination of conspiracy narratives, and medical distrust, may have impacted these online communities. The situation in Italy is of particular interest, being the first Western country to experience a nationwide lockdown. Particularly during this challenging time, the beneficial role of community moderators with professional mental health expertise needs to be investigated in terms of uncovering misleading information and regulating communities. Objective The aim of the proposed study is to investigate the potentially harmful content found in online communities for mental health symptoms in the Italian language. Besides descriptive information about the content that posts and comments address, this study aims to analyze the content from two viewpoints. The first one compares expert-led and peer-led communities, focusing on differences in misinformation. The second one unravels the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, not by merely investigating differences in topics but also by investigating the needs expressed by community members. Methods A codebook for the content analysis of Facebook communities has been developed, and a content analysis will be conducted on bundles of posts. Among 14 Facebook groups that were interested in participating in this study, two groups were selected for analysis: one was being moderated by a health professional (n=12,058 members) and one was led by peers (n=5598 members). Utterances from 3 consecutive calendar years will be studied by comparing the months from before the pandemic, the months during the height of the pandemic, and the months during the postpandemic phase (2019-2021). This method permits the identification of different types of misinformation and the context in which they emerge. Ethical approval was obtained by the Università della Svizzera italiana ethics committee. Results The usability of the codebook was demonstrated with a pretest. Subsequently, 144 threads (1534 utterances) were coded by the two coders. Intercoder reliability was calculated on 293 units (19.10% of the total sample; Krippendorff α=.94, range .72-1). Aside from a few analyses comparing bundles, individual utterances will constitute the unit of analysis in most cases. Conclusions This content analysis will identify deleterious content found in online mental health support groups, the potential role of moderators in uncovering misleading information, and the impact of COVID-19 on the content. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/35347
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Bizzotto
- Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Susanna Morlino
- Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Peter Johannes Schulz
- Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.,Department of Communication and Media, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Dashtian H, Murthy D, Kong G. An Exploration of e-Cigarette-Related Search Items on YouTube: Network Analysis. J Med Internet Res 2022; 24:e30679. [PMID: 35084353 PMCID: PMC8832267 DOI: 10.2196/30679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background e-Cigarette use among youth is high, which may be due in part to pro–e-cigarette content on social media such as YouTube. YouTube is also a valuable resource for learning about e-cigarette use, trends, marketing, and e-cigarette user perceptions. However, there is a lack of understanding on how similar e-cigarette–related search items result in similar or relatively mutually exclusive search results. This study uses novel methods to evaluate the relationship between e-cigarette–related search items and results. Objective The aim of this study is to apply network modeling and rule-based classification to characterize the relationships between e-cigarette–related search items on YouTube and gauge the level of importance of each search item as part of an e-cigarette information network on YouTube. Methods We used 16 fictitious YouTube profiles to retrieve 4201 distinct videos from 18 keywords related to e-cigarettes. We used network modeling to represent the relationships between the search items. Moreover, we developed a rule-based classification approach to classify videos. We used betweenness centrality (BC) and correlations between nodes (ie, search items) to help us gain knowledge of the underlying structure of the information network. Results By modeling search items and videos as a network, we observed that broad search items such as e-cig had the most connections to other search items, and specific search items such as cigalike had the least connections. Search items with similar words (eg, vape and vaping) and search items with similar meaning (eg, e-liquid and e-juice) yielded a high degree of connectedness. We also found that each node had 18 (SD 34.8) connections (common videos) on average. BC indicated that general search items such as electronic cigarette and vaping had high importance in the network (BC=0.00836). Our rule-based classification sorted videos into four categories: e-cigarette devices (34%-57%), cannabis vaping (16%-28%), e-liquid (14%-37%), and other (8%-22%). Conclusions Our findings indicate that search items on YouTube have unique relationships that vary in strength and importance. Our methods can not only be used to successfully identify the important, overlapping, and unique e-cigarette–related search items but also help determine which search items are more likely to act as a gateway to e-cigarette–related content.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Dashtian
- The Computational Media Lab and School of Journalism and Media, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Dhiraj Murthy
- The Computational Media Lab and School of Journalism and Media, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Grace Kong
- The Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Xin W. Lack of alternative: Chinese first-time mothers’ construction of social support network of online secondary groups. Digit Health 2022; 8:20552076221129062. [PMID: 36199543 PMCID: PMC9527985 DOI: 10.1177/20552076221129062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As a result of rapid modernization and the long-term implementation of One Child Policy, Chinese first-time mothers’ primary child-raising social support network is gradually shrinking. At the same time, the social support system for child raising is still very incomplete. Therefore, Chinese first-time mothers generally face great pressure. Objective This paper aims to understand Chinese first-time mothers’ construction of social support network of online secondary groups. Methods This paper employs a qualitative research method, with semi-structured interviews with 23 participants, two focus groups and observations conducted in nine online child-raising communities. Results Based on the principle of instrumental rationality first-time mothers use various strategies to join different types of online communities and their online social support network is always the dynamic changing. The online social support network is a supplementary channel in which first-time mothers can obtain both instrumental and emotional support. But communication risks and ethical issues remain, such as information exchange interfered by commercial capital, widespread anxiety and superficial social relationships. Conclusions Online social support network is an alternative for Chinese first-time mothers and they urgently need a more well-rounded social support network system with government leading and multiple subjects participating in it.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Xin
- A School of Journalism and Communication, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Liu Y, Huang W, Luo D. The reception of support in peer-to-peer online networks: Network position, support solicitation, and support provision in an online asthma caregivers group. Health Informatics J 2021; 27:14604582211066020. [PMID: 34910594 DOI: 10.1177/14604582211066020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study applies social network analysis and quantitative content analysis to messages exchanged within an online support forum of caregivers of children with chronic asthma to examine how peer-to-peer network positions and personal communication styles (seeking and providing support) impact the reception of social support. Content analysis is used to determine rates of giving and receiving informational and emotional support. Network analysis assesses levels of individual betweenness and closeness centrality in the online network. Relationships between network positions, solicitation strategies, and the provision and reception of informational and emotional support are examined. Betweenness and closeness centrality are associated with improved informational and emotional support. The provision of informational support is also improved by providing descriptions of personal experience. Practical implications for the design and use of online support platforms are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Liu
- School of Journalism and Communication, 34747Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wensen Huang
- School of Media and Communication, 47890Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Dan Luo
- School of Nursing, 12390Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Exploring public perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine online from a cultural perspective: Semantic network analysis of two social media platforms in the United States and China. TELEMATICS AND INFORMATICS 2021; 65:101712. [PMID: 34887618 PMCID: PMC8429027 DOI: 10.1016/j.tele.2021.101712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The development and uptake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine is a top priority in stifling the COVID-19 pandemic. How the public perceives the COVID-19 vaccine is directly associated with vaccine compliance and vaccination coverage. This study takes a cultural sensitivity perspective and adopts two well-known social media platforms in the United States (Twitter) and China (Weibo) to conduct a public perception comparison around the COVID-19 vaccine. By implementing semantic network analysis, results demonstrate that the two countries' social media users overlapped in themes concerning domestic vaccination policies, priority groups, challenges from COVID-19 variants, and the global pandemic situation. However, Twitter users were prone to disclose individual vaccination experiences, express anti-vaccine attitudes. In comparison, Weibo users manifested evident deference to authorities and exhibited more positive feelings toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Those disparities were explained by the cultural characteristics' differences between the two countries. The findings provide insights into comprehending public health issues in cross-cultural contexts and illustrate the potential of utilizing social media to conduct health informatics studies and investigate public perceptions during public health crisis time.
Collapse
|
12
|
Ramamoorthy T, Karmegam D, Mappillairaju B. Use of social media data for disease based social network analysis and network modeling: A Systematic Review. Inform Health Soc Care 2021; 46:443-454. [PMID: 33877944 DOI: 10.1080/17538157.2021.1905642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Burden due to infectious and noncommunicable disease is increasing at an alarming rate. Social media usage is growing rapidly and has become the new norm of communication. It is imperative to examine what is being discussed in the social media about diseases or conditions and the characteristics of the network of people involved in discussion. The objective is to assess the tools and techniques used to study social media disease networks using network analysis and network modeling. PubMed and IEEEXplore were searched from 2009 to 2020 and included 30 studies after screening and analysis. Twitter, QuitNet, and disease-specific online forums were widely used to study communications on various health conditions. Most of the studies have performed content analysis and network analysis, whereas network modeling has been done in six studies. Posts on cancer, COVID-19, and smoking have been widely studied. Tools and techniques used for network analysis are listed. Health-related social media data can be leveraged for network analysis. Network modeling technique would help to identify the structural factors associated with the affiliation of the disease networks, which is scarcely utilized. This will help public health professionals to tailor targeted interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thilagavathi Ramamoorthy
- School of Public Health, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India - 603 203
| | - Dhivya Karmegam
- School of Public Health, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India - 603 203
| | - Bagavandas Mappillairaju
- Centre for Statistics, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India - 603 203
| |
Collapse
|