Using Twitter to promote a youth mental health agenda

The impact and management of internet-based public opinion dissemination during emergencies: A case study of Baidu News during the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency has had a huge impact worldwide. We analyzed news headlines and keywords from the initial period of COVID-19, and explored the dissemination timeline of news related to the epidemic, and the impact of Internet-based media on the public using lifecycle theory and agenda-setting theory. We aimed to explore the impact of Baidu news headlines on public attention during the first wave of COVID-19, as well as the management mechanism of regulatory departments for social public opinion.

METHODS

We searched Baidu News using the keywords "Novel Coronavirus" and "COVID-19" from 8 January to 21 February 2020, a total of 45 days, and used Python V3.6 to extract news samples during the first wave of the epidemic. We used text analysis software to structurally process captured news topics and content summaries, applied VOSviewer V6.19 and Ucinet V6.0 to examine key aspects of the data.

RESULTS

We analyzed the impact of Baidu News headlines on social opinion during the first wave of COVID-19 in the budding, spread, and outbreak stage of the information lifecycle. From clustering visualization and social network analysis perspectives, we explored the characteristics of Baidu News during the initial stage of the COVID-19. The results indicated that agenda-setting coverage through online media helped to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19. The findings revealed that news reporting generated a high level of public attention toward a specific emergency event.

CONCLUSIONS

The public requires accurate and objective information on the progress of COVID-19 through Baidu News headlines to inform their planning for the epidemic. Meanwhile, government can enhance the management mechanism of news dissemination, correct false and inaccurate news, and guide public opinion in a positive direction. In addition, timely official announcements on the progress of the COVID-19 outbreak and responses to matters of public concern can help calm tensions and maintain social stability.

Postcolonial pandemic publics: examining social media health promotion in India during the COVID-19 crisis

Affordances offered by new media platforms are perceived as revolutionary instruments for removing the inequities of access to health promotion and communication. However, the production and dissemination of health promotional material on digital platforms does not necessarily translate into uniform access across diverse demographics. This article addresses the lacuna when it comes to analyzing Health Promotion initiatives in India, with a specific focus on the governmental publicity carried out on social media during the four phases of COVID-19 national lockdown between 24 March and 31 May 2020. Our intervention examines how governmental social media health promotion in India played a key role in shaping the 'outbreak narrative' during the lockdown across different levels of social and economic privilege. Through a combination of quantitative data analysis and qualitative interview methods, this article analyzes the circulation and impact of official publicity in online and offline spaces, during the COVID-19 lockdown in India. Resultant findings allow for a comprehensive assessment of whether such publicity contributed to democratized citizen science discourses: enabling social protection measures for vulnerable majorities or potentially reified the existing privileges of the economically and socially affluent minority. We find that health promotion campaigns during a pandemic must focus on reaching the widest possible audience in the most efficient manner. Specifically, in the Indian context, health promotion through mass-media like Television and Radio, and participatory media platforms needed to be implemented in tandem with new media platforms, to achieve required engagement with vulnerable communities on key health issues.

OUP accepted manuscript

This article explores the impact of online Irish traditional singing sessions on health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Singing sessions are unique facets of Ireland’s music tradition that saw dramatic closure, interruption and digital transition in response to COVID-19 social distancing measures. This study highlights a gap in health promotion literature with regard to traditional singing sessions as a group singing activity and examines the potential for online group singing activities to have positive impacts on the health and well-being of participants. While traditional singing sessions foreground solo performances, they are quintessentially group activities, and include community engagement and active participation from singers and listeners alike. Through an online survey (n = 108), and ethnographic interviews (n = 3), this study explores potential health and well-being implications of online traditional singing sessions, and reveals four main areas of impact: social connection, enjoyment, cognitive motivation and timekeeping. The study suggests that online traditional singing sessions can promote health and well-being in participants, particularly during times of isolation.

This article explores the impact of online Irish traditional singing sessions on health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Singing sessions are unique facets of Ireland’s music tradition which were forced to move online due to COVID-19 restrictions. This study used an online survey (n = 108), and interviews (n = 3), to explore the impact of these online sessions on the well-being of their participants. Findings showed the impacts to be overwhelmingly positive, particularly in four main areas: social connection, enjoyment, cognitive motivation, and timekeeping. This study highlights the value of traditional singing sessions as group singing activities for the purposes of health and well-being promotion, and suggests that online group singing activities can be beneficial, particularly during times of isolation.