Source of Information in Times of Health Crisis: Evidence from Turkey During COVID-19

Aim: Media as a source of information can shape public opinion toward COVID-19 response. Identifying how and where people seek information during COVID-19 outbreak is vital to convey the most effective message about managing the COVID-19 crisis. The purpose of this study was to determine the source of information and investigate the role of various demographic factors - age, gender, educational attainment, and perceived economic level – on source of information. Subject and Methods: An online survey (n = 4,624) was conducted on the Turkish public during early stages of the COVID-19. Results: The results showed that internet journalism and social media were the most preferable source of information. Higher age, educational attainment, and economic level were related to higher levels of seeking information from TV, newspaper, internet journalism, and informative meetings. Females obtained information more from their friends and family, and social media than males. High school graduates or below watched more TV and obtained less information from internet journalism, while university graduates sought information from their families and friends, and that postgraduates attended informative meeting and read newspapers. People with medium and high economic status respectively watched more TV and read more newspapers while people with low socioeconomic status attended less in informative meetings. Conclusion: In sum, this study provides evidence that a source of information might be influenced by demographic factors. Researchers and policymakers can use a source of information to develop crisis-response strategies by considering variations in the demographic factors.

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Sex, Digital Devices, Social Media, and Social Isolation: A Study on Sexual Behavioral During COVID -19 Pandemic

Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health ◽

10.2174/1745017902117010235 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 235-241

Author(s):

Isabela A. Melca ◽

Antonio E. Nardi ◽

Lucio L. Gonçalves ◽

Rachel M. Ferreira ◽

Mariana S. K. Lins de Padua ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Sexual Behavior ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Safer Sex ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Physical Distance ◽

Sexual Content ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Digital Devices

Introduction: Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused social and economic damages. People have adapted to a new reality of physical distance. Objective: The study aimed to assess the use of digital devices and social media, focusing on psychosocial and demographic factors of people´s sexual behavior during the pandemic. Methods: A total of 1,357 Brazilian adults participated in a cross-sectional online survey. They were recruited through social media to obtain information regarding sexual behavior and the use of digital devices and social media. Results: Digital devices and social media were used by 38.8% of the participants. Among the group that used technological devices, most claimed to have changed their sexual behavior, with 76.9% consuming more sexual content through movies or series. Conclusion: In a smaller group, technological resources appeared as an alternative for safer sex, reducing the risks of COVID-19 transmission.

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The importance of reliable social media information during the COVID-19 pandemic

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.067 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

M Bernardino ◽

L Bacelar Nicolau

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Fold Increase ◽

The United States ◽

Social Media Analytics ◽

Web Based ◽

Health Crisis ◽

First Case ◽

Total Interaction ◽

The Impact ◽

Source Of Information

Abstract On December 2019, in Wuhan-China, SARS-Cov2 coronavirus emerged, causing the COVID-19 pandemic, responsible by June 29 2020, for 10.112.754 cases, and 501.562 deaths, in over 213 countries. Our research aims to study the impact of COVID-19 on Facebook and Instagram posting activity, regarding publications with word ‘Coronavirus', their total interaction and source, as well as an analysis of possible fake news A sample of 4.000 posts (3.025 Facebook and 975 Instagram posts) was extracted through a web-based social media analytics tool, over two periods: January 10-February 27 (P1) and 01 May-June 28 (P2). Data were analysed using Microsoft tools. The 2.000 P1 posts generated 77.654.161 interactions - 70% likes, 4% comments and 27% shares. However, the 2.000 P2 posts prompted more than four times engagement, with 330.930.859 interactions - 92% likes, 2% comments and 6% shares. From January to February, likes increased 59%, but comments and shares decreased by 27% and 57%, respectively: users are generally more engaged but at a less profound level. From May to June, likes, comments and shares decreased 41%, 43% and 51%, as users gradually come out of confinement. Certain events boosted engagement: on January 21, as the first case in the United States was announced, 767.280 interactions were reported, a 21-fold increase from the previous day; February 16 was the day with more monthly engagement when the first case in France was announced. January 25, CNN posted the Facebook post with more interactions of the month (2.510.695). On February, the post with most interactions was from Real Madrid Football Club. On P2, the two most popular posts were from The United Nations International Children's Fund Facebook page (May post had 4.153.981 interactions). Social media is nowadays the most used source of information in the world. In a health crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic, quality information is necessary to keep the population calm and informed on the correct steps to take. Key messages Study the impact of the COVID-19 on Facebook and Instagram, regarding the evolution of publications related to word “Coronavirus”. The importance of Social Media during a Health Crisis.

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Social Media; its role in the infodemic of COVID-19

Pakistan Journal of Surgery and Medicine ◽

10.37978/pjsm.v1i4.188 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

pp. e188

Author(s):

Mohammad Ali Akbar ◽

Zubia Zaman ◽

Muhammad Ahsan Abbasi ◽

Imran Mansoor Raza ◽

Muneeza Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Linear Correlation ◽

Online Survey ◽

English Language ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Primary Source ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Geographic Area ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Source Of Information

Introduction: A pandemic is defined as an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the global population.Objective: This study aims to observe the discrepancies that social media provides users in terms of information regarding COVID-19 and how that information can affect practices for prevention against the virus.Methods: A cross-sectional study, with a non-probability convenience sampling technique, was conducted during April 2020. An online survey was created on Google Forms in the English language, and participants were invited to complete and submit the form. A total of 402 responses were received in one month. Citizens of age 18-60 partook in the study, and respondents tested positive for Covid-19 were excluded from the study as it could lead to bias.Results: A total of 375 responses were selected out of the 402 responses received. Six responses were excluded who tested positive for Covid-19, and 21 responses were rejected as they were filled incompletely. The mean age of respondents was 27.53 years (S.D 8.188), and there were more females, 52.53% (n=197) than male, 46.67%(175) participants. A Pearson correlation (r) of 0.383 between knowledge and practices of people who use social media as their primary source of information suggests a moderate linear correlation. People who did not use social media as their primary source of information had a stronger linear correlation (r=0.640) between knowledge and practices.Conclusion: According to the study, social media provided people with correct knowledge as well as encouraged efficient practices while also contributing to the spread of false news and malpractices.

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Knowledge and Attitudes of Jordanians toward COVID-19 pandemic: A CrossSectional Survey

Medical & Clinical Research ◽

10.33140/mcr.05.006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (Special) ◽

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Online Survey ◽

Hand Washing ◽

Control Measures ◽

Government Regulations ◽

Social Media Networks ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

The Government ◽

Prevention Methods ◽

Source Of Information

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, perception and attitudes of Jordanians regarding COVID-19 and the implementation of control measures by the government. Methods: An online survey of 25 questions assessing knowledge of COVID-19 prevention methods and attitudes toward government regulations to decrease the spread of the virus skills was conducted through social media networks between March 21 and March 22, 2020, the same day a national curfew was implemented. Results: A total of 3087 participants completed the survey. About 61.9% were females, 78.1% aged 18 to 40 years, and 40.4% were employed. The vast majority (99%) of the population reported to have at least some information about the virus. Almost half (45.2%) reported television as the main source of information about COVID-19. About 92.3% understood the importance of hand washing. About 90.5% considered the governmental measures excellent or very good, 8.7% rated measures good, 0.8% rated measures bad or very bad. Many supported government actions with 97.7% supporting the curfew decision, and 68.1% favoring school and university closure and the use of remote-education until the outbreak is resolved. The majority understood the importance of handwashing (92.3%) with 34.8% reporting washing their hands more than three times daily. Conclusions: Overall, participants demonstrated good knowledge about COVID-19 and had favorable attitudes toward government actions during the first 24 hours of the curfew. This suggests Jordan’s efforts towards COVID-19 were well received by the general public.

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Fandom, forgiveness and future support: YouTube apologies as crisis communication

Journal of Communication Management ◽

10.1108/jcom-06-2019-0096 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

Jean Kelso Sandlin ◽

Monica L. Gracyalny

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Crisis Response ◽

Social Implications ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Public Figure ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

Relational Outcomes

PurposeThis study examined how audience characteristics and attitudes relate to their perceptions of sincerity and forgiveness of apologies by public figures posted on YouTube.Design/methodology/approachFour hundred twenty-seven adult participants recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk completed an online survey via Qualtrics. Participants were randomly assigned to view two of four public figure apologies posted on YouTube.FindingsResults indicated that audience fandom and perceived reputation and attractiveness of the public figure were related to perceptions of sincerity and forgiveness; and perceptions of sincerity and forgiveness were related to intentions of future support.Research limitations/implications“Sameness” between the public figure and audience did not garner a more favorable response to the apology, and this is not consistent with earlier studies. For race similarity, the results could have been a reflection of the low number of non-White participants. However, results could indicate that “sameness” is not as simplistic as demographic sameness, such as race, sex or age.Practical implicationsThe authors’ findings elevate the importance of gathering and benchmarking pre-crisis attitudinal research to better equip and inform communication professionals for crisis response. In addition, the study suggests that a public figure's strong reputation and fanbase provide a type of inoculation, lessening reputational damage.Social implicationsThe finding that perceived attractiveness relates positively to perceptions of sincerity and forgiveness is consistent with psychological research indicating attractiveness has many positive social implications – even in mediated communication.Originality/valueEvidence suggests social media apologies matter. Communication professionals need to approach apology opportunities with a keen awareness that relational outcomes and intentions of future support can shift based on social media audiences' attitudes related to the public figure.

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High Rates of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Its Association with Conspiracy Beliefs: A Study in Jordan and Kuwait among Other Arab Countries

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9010042 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 42 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Malik Sallam ◽

Deema Dababseh ◽

Huda Eid ◽

Kholoud Al-Mahzoum ◽

Ayat Al-Haidar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

General Public ◽

Online Survey ◽

Harmful Effect ◽

Arab Countries ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

Educational Levels ◽

Conspiracy Beliefs ◽

Source Of Information

Vaccination could be an effective strategy for slowing the spread of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy could pose a serious problem for COVID-19 prevention, due to the spread of misinformation surrounding the ongoing pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes towards the prospective COVID-19 vaccines among the general public in Jordan, Kuwait and other Arab countries. We also aimed to assess the association between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and conspiracy beliefs. This study used an online survey distributed in December 2020, with items assessing conspiracies regarding COVID-19’s origin and vaccination. Attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines were assessed using the Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale (VCBS), with higher scores indicating a greater belief in vaccine conspiracy. A total of 3414 respondents completed the survey, the majority being residents of Jordan (n = 2173, 63.6%), Kuwait (n = 771, 22.6%) and Saudi Arabia (n = 154, 4.5%). The acceptance rates for COVID-19 and influenza vaccines were 29.4% and 30.9%, respectively. Males, respondents with higher educational levels and those with histories of chronic disease had higher rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Beliefs that COVID-19 vaccines are intended to inject microchips into recipients and that the vaccines are related to infertility were found in 27.7% and 23.4% of respondents, respectively. Higher VCBS scores were found among females, respondents with lower educational levels and respondents relying on social media platforms as the main source of information. The high rates of vaccine hesitancy in Jordan and Kuwait, among other Arab countries, are alarming. They could hinder the proper control of COVID-19 in the region. The harmful effect of COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy beliefs was manifested in vaccine hesitancy. This may represent a massive obstacle to the successful control of the pandemic. A reliance on social media as the main source of information about COVID-19 vaccines was associated with vaccine hesitancy. This should alert governments, policy makers and the general public to the importance of vigilant fact checking.

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‘INFORMATION DISORDER’: SAMPLE OF SYRIANS IN TURKEY

Journal of Scientific Perspectives ◽

10.26900/jsp.5.5.2 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 109-122

Author(s):

Apak Kerem ALTINTOP ◽

Yasin ÖZBEY ◽

Ece ÇİM

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Online Survey ◽

Age Distribution ◽

Active Role ◽

University Graduates ◽

Fake News ◽

Temporary Protection ◽

The Media ◽

Concept Of Information ◽

False News

The aim of the study is to examine perceptions and knowledge towards Syrians in Turkey under temporary protection. This examination will be conducted in the light of the concept of information disorder that was conceptualized by Wardle in 2017. The concepts of "fake news", "false content", "disinformation" in the current literature assume that the information is wrong. Information disorder is based on two bases: i) whether the information is true or false, ii) what is the intention of producing, sharing, and disseminating information. In the research, the news about Syrians in the media and that set an example for information disorder was examined. Then, the knowledge and perception of the society was investigated through the relevant news. Qualitative method was preferred in the study. An online survey was conducted because of the COVID-19 outbreak. 360 people were reached. The survey consists of questions about false news about Syrians in the media, social media usage habits, sharing habits and demographic information. While 60.4% of the participants in the study are women, 38.5% are men. The age distribution is between the ages of 17-70. The average age is 35.55. Most of the participants are university graduates (57.1%). The rate of those who had family or personal immigration experience before is 44.9%. While 74.2% of the participants do not share the news about Syrians on social media, most of those who share are made on Twitter. As a result, social media plays an active role in the circulation of fake news, which occupies a certain place in the country, without confirmation and origin, and creates social reality. Although people think that they use it consciously, it is seen that they think differently when it comes to Syrian under temporary protection.

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Top Concerns of Tweeters During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Infoveillance Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.19016 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alaa Abd-Alrazaq ◽

Dari Alhuwail ◽

Mowafa Househ ◽

Mounir Hamdi ◽

Zubair Shah

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽

Well Being ◽

Crisis Response ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Surveillance Systems ◽

Health Crisis ◽

The Mean

BACKGROUND The recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is taking a toll on the world’s health care infrastructure as well as the social, economic, and psychological well-being of humanity. Individuals, organizations, and governments are using social media to communicate with each other on a number of issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not much is known about the topics being shared on social media platforms relating to COVID-19. Analyzing such information can help policy makers and health care organizations assess the needs of their stakeholders and address them appropriately. OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify the main topics posted by Twitter users related to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Leveraging a set of tools (Twitter’s search application programming interface (API), Tweepy Python library, and PostgreSQL database) and using a set of predefined search terms (“corona,” “2019-nCov,” and “COVID-19”), we extracted the text and metadata (number of likes and retweets, and user profile information including the number of followers) of public English language tweets from February 2, 2020, to March 15, 2020. We analyzed the collected tweets using word frequencies of single (unigrams) and double words (bigrams). We leveraged latent Dirichlet allocation for topic modeling to identify topics discussed in the tweets. We also performed sentiment analysis and extracted the mean number of retweets, likes, and followers for each topic and calculated the interaction rate per topic. RESULTS Out of approximately 2.8 million tweets included, 167,073 unique tweets from 160,829 unique users met the inclusion criteria. Our analysis identified 12 topics, which were grouped into four main themes: origin of the virus; its sources; its impact on people, countries, and the economy; and ways of mitigating the risk of infection. The mean sentiment was positive for 10 topics and negative for 2 topics (deaths caused by COVID-19 and increased racism). The mean for tweet topics of account followers ranged from 2722 (increased racism) to 13,413 (economic losses). The highest mean of likes for the tweets was 15.4 (economic loss), while the lowest was 3.94 (travel bans and warnings). CONCLUSIONS Public health crisis response activities on the ground and online are becoming increasingly simultaneous and intertwined. Social media provides an opportunity to directly communicate health information to the public. Health systems should work on building national and international disease detection and surveillance systems through monitoring social media. There is also a need for a more proactive and agile public health presence on social media to combat the spread of fake news.

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Top Concerns of Tweeters During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Infoveillance Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/19016 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. e19016 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

Alaa Abd-Alrazaq ◽

Dari Alhuwail ◽

Mowafa Househ ◽

Mounir Hamdi ◽

Zubair Shah

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽

Well Being ◽

Crisis Response ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Surveillance Systems ◽

Health Crisis ◽

The Mean

Background The recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is taking a toll on the world’s health care infrastructure as well as the social, economic, and psychological well-being of humanity. Individuals, organizations, and governments are using social media to communicate with each other on a number of issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not much is known about the topics being shared on social media platforms relating to COVID-19. Analyzing such information can help policy makers and health care organizations assess the needs of their stakeholders and address them appropriately. Objective This study aims to identify the main topics posted by Twitter users related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Leveraging a set of tools (Twitter’s search application programming interface (API), Tweepy Python library, and PostgreSQL database) and using a set of predefined search terms (“corona,” “2019-nCov,” and “COVID-19”), we extracted the text and metadata (number of likes and retweets, and user profile information including the number of followers) of public English language tweets from February 2, 2020, to March 15, 2020. We analyzed the collected tweets using word frequencies of single (unigrams) and double words (bigrams). We leveraged latent Dirichlet allocation for topic modeling to identify topics discussed in the tweets. We also performed sentiment analysis and extracted the mean number of retweets, likes, and followers for each topic and calculated the interaction rate per topic. Results Out of approximately 2.8 million tweets included, 167,073 unique tweets from 160,829 unique users met the inclusion criteria. Our analysis identified 12 topics, which were grouped into four main themes: origin of the virus; its sources; its impact on people, countries, and the economy; and ways of mitigating the risk of infection. The mean sentiment was positive for 10 topics and negative for 2 topics (deaths caused by COVID-19 and increased racism). The mean for tweet topics of account followers ranged from 2722 (increased racism) to 13,413 (economic losses). The highest mean of likes for the tweets was 15.4 (economic loss), while the lowest was 3.94 (travel bans and warnings). Conclusions Public health crisis response activities on the ground and online are becoming increasingly simultaneous and intertwined. Social media provides an opportunity to directly communicate health information to the public. Health systems should work on building national and international disease detection and surveillance systems through monitoring social media. There is also a need for a more proactive and agile public health presence on social media to combat the spread of fake news.

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AN EXPLORATION OF GENDER DIFFERENCES IN TEENAGERS’ USE, CONSUMPTION AND DIGITAL PRODUCTION

NORDSCI Conference proceedings, Book 1 Volume 3 ◽

10.32008/nordsci2020/b1/v3/24 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Corina-Maricica Seserman ◽

Daniela Cojocaru

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Social Media ◽

Data Collection ◽

Gender Identity ◽

Online Survey ◽

Peer Group ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Digital Content ◽

Media Consumption ◽

The Way

Today’s teenagers have a very close relationship with ICTs and the digital space related to them, as they have impacted the way the youth constructs their sense of self and the tools they use to perform their carefully constructed identity. One key element which influences the way one constructs their views by themselves is within the boundaries set by their biological sex and therefore through the behaviors associated with their asigned gender. Through the symbolic interactionist lense, or more specifically through Goffman's dramaturgical theory on the manner in which one presents him/herself in society, this paper looks at the manner in which teenagers use social media platforms and at the way they consume and create digital content in order to present their gender identity. The way teenagers consume and produce digital content differs and depends on how they interpret their ideals of femininity and masculinity, which are afterwards reproduced in the content they post on their social media pages. Therefore this research is an attempt to understand what are the factors teenagers take in account when consuming and producing content. What gender differences can be observed in regards to new media consumption? What difference can be observed in online activity behaviors between males and females? How do they feel about their gender identity concerning fitting in with their peer group? A mix-methodological approach was engaged in the data collection process. In the first stage of the research highschool students (n=324) from the city of Suceava (Romania) participated in taking an online survey. The initial intent was to meet with the young respondents in person, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic this was deemed impossible. For the second stage of data collection, six of the participants who took the online survey were invited to participate in a focus group designed to grasp a better understanding of the results from the previous stage. The discovered findings uncover engaging gender similarities and differences in social media consumption and the type, subject, matter and style in which they posted their content, but also in regards to the performance of the self between the online and offline space.

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