Social media in emergency management: exploring Twitter use by emergency responders in the UK

COVID-19 has significantly impacted young people’s lives yet little is known about the COVID-19 related sources of information they access. We performed a cross-sectional survey of pupils (11–16 years) in North Staffordshire, UK. 408 (23%) pupils responded to an online survey emailed to them by their school. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data. Social media, accessed by 68%, played a significant role in the provision of information, despite it not being considered trustworthy. 89% felt that COVID-19 had negatively affected their education. Gaps in the provision of information on COVID-19 have been identified.

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Mixed-methods process evaluation of SafeTea: a multimedia campaign to prevent hot drink scalds in young children and promote burn first aid

Injury Prevention ◽

10.1136/injuryprev-2020-043909 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. injuryprev-2020-043909

Author(s):

Laura Elizabeth Cowley ◽

C Verity Bennett ◽

Isabelle Brown ◽

Alan Emond ◽

Alison Mary Kemp

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Young Children ◽

Process Evaluation ◽

Behavioural Change ◽

First Aid ◽

Multifaceted Intervention ◽

Media Content ◽

Educational Videos ◽

The Uk

ObjectivesSafeTea is a multifaceted intervention delivered by community practitioners to prevent hot drink scalds to young children and improve parents’ knowledge of appropriate burn first aid. We adapted SafeTea for a national multimedia campaign, and present a mixed-methods process evaluation of the campaign.MethodsWe used social media, a website hosting downloadable materials and media publicity to disseminate key messages to parents/caregivers of young children and professionals working with these families across the UK. The SafeTea campaign was launched on National Burns Awareness Day (NBAD), October 2019, and ran for 3 months. Process evaluation measurements included social media metrics, Google Analytics, and quantitative and qualitative results from a survey of professionals who requested hard copies of the materials via the website.ResultsFindings were summarised under four themes: ‘reach’, ‘engagement’, ‘acceptability’ and ‘impact/behavioural change’. The launch on NBAD generated widespread publicity. The campaign reached a greater number of the target audience than anticipated, with over 400 000 views of the SafeTea educational videos. Parents and professionals engaged with SafeTea and expressed positive opinions of the campaign and materials. SafeTea encouraged parents to consider how to change their behaviours to minimise the risks associated with hot drinks. Reach and engagement steadily declined after the first month due to reduced publicity and social media promotion.ConclusionThe SafeTea campaign was successful in terms of reach and engagement. The launch on NBAD was essential for generating media interest. Future campaigns could be shorter, with more funding for additional social media content and promotion.

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Mental Health, Information and Being Connected: Qualitative Experiences of Social Media Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic from a Trans-National Sample

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9060735 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 735

Author(s):

Schoultz Mariyana ◽

Leung Janni ◽

Bonsaksen Tore ◽

Ruffolo Mary ◽

Thygesen Hilde ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Health Information ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Impact ◽

National Study ◽

Free Text ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mental Health Information ◽

The Uk

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strict national policies regarding social distancing behavior in Europe, America and Australia, people became reliant on social media as a means for gathering information and as a tool for staying connected to family, friends and work. This is the first trans-national study exploring the qualitative experiences and challenges of using social media while in lockdown or shelter-in-place during the current pandemic. Methods: This study was part of a wider cross-sectional online survey conducted in Norway, the UK, USA and Australia during April/May 2020. The manuscript reports on the qualitative free-text component of the study asking about the challenges of social media users during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, USA and Australia. A total of 1991 responses were included in the analysis. Thematic analysis was conducted independently by two researchers. Results: Three overarching themes identified were: Emotional/Mental Health, Information and Being Connected. Participants experienced that using social media during the pandemic amplified anxiety, depression, fear, panic, anger, frustration and loneliness. They felt that there was information overload and social media was full of misleading or polarized opinions which were difficult to switch off. Nonetheless, participants also thought that there was an urge for connection and learning, which was positive and stressful at the same time. Conclusion: Using social media while in a shelter-in-place or lockdown could have a negative impact on the emotional and mental health of some of the population. To support policy and practice in strengthening mental health care in the community, social media could be used to deliver practical advice on coping and stress management. Communication with the public should be strengthened by unambiguous and clear messages and clear communication pathways. We should be looking at alternative ways of staying connected.

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“At Least until the Second Wave Comes…”: A Twitter Analysis of the NHS and COVID-19 between March and June 2020

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18083943 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 3943

Author(s):

Kathy McKay ◽

Sarah Wayland ◽

David Ferguson ◽

Jane Petty ◽

Eilis Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Profound Impact ◽

Time Period ◽

Twitter Analysis ◽

The Uk ◽

Media Narratives ◽

Second Wave

In the UK, tweets around COVID-19 and health care have primarily focused on the NHS. Recent research has identified that the psychological well-being of NHS staff has been adversely impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate narratives relating to the NHS and COVID-19 during the first lockdown (26 March–4 July 2020). A total of 123,880 tweets were collated and downloaded bound to the time period of the first lockdown in order to analyse the real-time discourse around COVID-19 and the NHS. Content analysis was undertaken and tweets were coded to positive and negative sentiments. Five main themes were identified: (1) the dichotomies of ‘clap for carers’; (2) problems with PPE and testing; (3) peaks of anger; (4) issues around hero worship; and (5) hints of a normality. Further research exploring and documenting social media narratives around COVID-19 and the NHS, in this and subsequent lockdowns, should help in tailoring suitable support for staff in the future and acknowledging the profound impact that the pandemic has had.

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Moving Away from Category Exclusivity Deals to Sponsorship Activation Platforms: The Case of the Ryder Cup

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031151 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1151

Author(s):

Yunchao Bai ◽

Brian H. Yim ◽

John Breedlove ◽

James J. Zhang

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Social Media ◽

Financial Services ◽

Case Analysis ◽

The United States ◽

Brand Awareness ◽

Inquiry Process ◽

Standard Life ◽

The Uk ◽

Collaborative Efforts

As a biennial event, the Ryder Cup is a men’s golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. Ernst & Young (EY) and Standard Life Investments (SLI), who are in same business category (i.e., financial services), have served as official partners of the event in recent years. While the two firms are willing to move away from the traditional sponsorship practices of category exclusivity deals, both have been able to achieve significant success through their collaborative efforts in activating their sponsorships. This is a new, fascinating phenomenon in both sponsorship concept and practice. Through an exploratory inductive inquiry process, in this study we conduct a case analysis by examining the sponsorship activations of EY and SLI at the 2014 Ryder Cup event held in the UK. The findings demonstrate that social media plays an impactful role in the companies’ ability to engage target audiences. EY used the Ryder Cup captain as a brand ambassador, who embodied its sponsorship theme of leadership and teamwork. SLI focused on running advertising campaigns to build company image and increase brand awareness.

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Social media participatory CPD for nursing revalidation, professional development and beyond

British Journal of Nursing ◽

10.12968/bjon.2019.28.13.870 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (13) ◽

pp. 870-877

Author(s):

Calvin Moorley ◽

Theresa Chinn

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Social Media ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Design Data ◽

The Social ◽

Reflective Design ◽

Professional Requirements ◽

Social Media Tools ◽

The Uk ◽

Media Applications

Background: In 2016 the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK introduced revalidation, which is the process nurses are required to follow to renew their registration. This provides an opportunity for nurses to shape, develop and evolve social media to meet their professional requirements. Aims: to examine different ways nurses can use social media tools for continuous professional development (CPD) and revalidation. Methods: using a qualitative reflective design, data were gathered from content on the @WeNurses platform and activities organised with other leading health organisations in England. These data were analysed using the social media relationship triangle developed by the authors with a thematic analysis approach. Findings: analysis revealed that social media was used in six categories: publishing, sharing, messaging, discussing, collaborating, and networking. Organised social media events such as: blogs, tweetchats, Twitter storms, webinars, infographics, podcasts, videos and virtual book clubs can support nurses with revalidation and professional development. Conclusion: Through using a participatory CPD approach and embracing professional social media applications nurses have moved social media from the concept of a revolution to an evolution.

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Social media and sentiment in bioenergy consultation

International Journal of Energy Sector Management ◽

10.1108/ijesm-11-2014-0007 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 87-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Victoria Uren ◽

Daniel Wright ◽

James Scott ◽

Yulan He ◽

Hassan Saif

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

New Media ◽

Sentiment Analysis ◽

Opinion Mining ◽

Public Consultation ◽

Short Paper ◽

Consultation Process ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to address the following challenge: the push to widen participation in public consultation suggests social media as an additional mechanism through which to engage the public. Bioenergy companies need to build their capacity to communicate in these new media and to monitor the attitudes of the public and opposition organizations towards energy development projects. Design/methodology/approach – This short paper outlines the planning issues bioenergy developments face and the main methods of communication used in the public consultation process in the UK. The potential role of social media in communication with stakeholders is identified. The capacity of sentiment analysis to mine opinions from social media is summarised and illustrated using a sample of tweets containing the term “bioenergy”. Findings – Social media have the potential to improve information flows between stakeholders and developers. Sentiment analysis is a viable methodology, which bioenergy companies should be using to measure public opinion in the consultation process. Preliminary analysis shows promising results. Research limitations/implications – Analysis is preliminary and based on a small dataset. It is intended only to illustrate the potential of sentiment analysis and not to draw general conclusions about the bioenergy sector. Social implications – Social media have the potential to open access to the consultation process and help bioenergy companies to make use of waste for energy developments. Originality/value – Opinion mining, though established in marketing and political analysis, is not yet systematically applied as a planning consultation tool. This is a missed opportunity.

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