The #VaccinesWork Hashtag on Twitter in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Network Analysis

Correction approaches and hashtag framing in addressing Mpox misinformation on Instagram

The rapid spread of health misinformation on social media poses significant challenges to public health crisis. Mpox misinformation has portrayed it as exclusively a sexually transmitted infection, resulting in misperceptions about infection risk and stigmatization of affected groups. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different correction approaches and message framing in reducing misperception and shaping disease-related attitudes, both immediately after exposure and after a 1-day delay. We employed a 2 × 2 design with a control group to test correction approaches (fact-based vs. logic-based) combined with hashtag framing (health literacy vs. inclusivity) through an experiment (N = 274). Findings showed that all corrections reduced misperception both immediately and after 1 day and increased the likelihood of sharing corrective messages. Only corrections with inclusivity hashtags promoted more positive attitudes towards Mpox immediately after exposure. Stereotypes played a significant moderating role where participants with stronger stereotypes showed a greater reduction in misperception when exposed to corrections with inclusivity hashtags but were less likely to share logic-based corrective message. These findings contributed to understanding effective health communication by highlighting the role of social media hashtags in message framing, promoting user sharing of corrective information, and addressing stereotypes when designing interventions against health misinformation.

Health promotion campaigns using social media: association rules mining and co-occurrence network analysis of Twitter hashtags

BACKGROUND

Social media hashtags play a significant role in increasing the visibility of health information by making it easier for people to explore health-related content. Health promotion campaigns use campaign-specific hashtags to disseminate health-related messages, enabling individuals to access accurate and timely resources and updates. The study aims to discover patterns of connection between hashtags and identify the most influential hashtags used on Twitter in the American Heart Month campaigns.

METHOD

We collected a total of 73,288 tweets containing #AmericanHeartMonth between January 2019 and March 2023 and retrieved 18,143 original tweets, 42,930 retweets, 2,519 quotes, and 20,846 likes related to the past five campaigns. We adapted co-occurrence network analysis to explore the patterns of relationships between hashtags and association rules mining to assess the quality and strength of association between the co-occurred hashtags.

RESULT

While #AmericanHeartMonth, #OurHearts, and #HeartMonth play central roles in all hashtag co-occurrence networks, the results of association rules mining indicate a significant association of #OurHearts within the networks. The highest density of hashtags has been observed in the quoted tweets, introducing a new range of hashtags such as #GoRedForWomen, #WearRedDay, #HeartDisease, and #HeartHealth by Twitter users, indicating the positive correlation between co-occurring hashtags and users' engagement. The results of quality measurements of association rules (Lift > 1) indicate positive relationships between the co-occurred hashtags in the top 5 rules in all data subsets.

CONCLUSION

We employed co-occurrence network analysis and association rules mining as powerful techniques to identify influential hashtags that may have a central role in health-related discussions and drive engagement within the co-occurrence hashtag network. In conclusion, we recommend additional hashtag structures in conjunction with heart health-related topics to improve community building and the effectiveness of disseminating messages in future heart health promotion campaigns. The study contributes to knowledge and practice by offering a structured and data-driven approach and providing practical guidance for public health practitioners, professionals, and organisations to optimise content, targeting, and messaging to reach and engage a broader audience with health-related information.

The Pulse of Long COVID on Twitter: A Social Network Analysis

BACKGROUND

Long coronavirus disease (COVID) is a complex and multifaceted health condition with a range of severe symptoms that can last for weeks or even months after the acute phase of the illness has passed. Employing social network analysis (SNA) can rapidly provide significant health information to communities related to long COVID. This study aimed to identify the key themes, most influential users, and overall sentiments in the Twitter discourse on long COVID.

METHODS

Data were collected from a Twitter search with the specific keywords "long COVID" from December 1, 2022, to February 22, 2023, using NodeXL Pro. Visualizations, including network graphs and key influencers, were created using Gephi, and sentiment analysis was conducted with Azure Machine.

RESULTS

In total, 119,185 tweets from 94325 users were related to long COVID. Top influencers include medical professionals, researchers, journalists, and public figures, with news media platforms as primary information sources; the most common hashtag was #longCOVID, indicating that it is a significant issue of concern among the Twitter community. In the sentiment analysis, most tweets were negative.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of critically evaluating information shared by influential users and seeking out multiple sources of information when making health-related decisions. In addition, it emphasizes the value of examining social media conversations to understand public discourse on long COVID and suggests that future researchers could explore the role of social media in shaping public perceptions and behaviors related to health issues. Strategies for enhancing scientific journal engagement and influence in online discussions are discussed as well.