TY - JOUR
T1 - Crisis Communications in the Age of Social Media: A Network Analysis of Zika-Related Tweets
AU - Hagen, Loni
AU - Keller, Thomas
AU - Neely, Stephen
AU - DePaula, Nic
AU - Robert-Cooperman, Claudia
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - While emerging technologies such as social media have demonstrated value for crisis communications, significant question remains regarding how these tools can be most effectively leveraged to facilitate the flow of valid information under crisis conditions. In an effort to address these issues, this article examines the use of Twitter during the 2015–2016 Zika virus outbreak in the United States. Particular attention is paid to network structures within the Zika conversation and how different actors and communities contribute to the flow of information throughout the broader Twitter community. Public-facing organizations can benefit from a deeper understanding of the nature and structure of spontaneously occurring communities on social media as well as the types of content that they create and circulate. As such, these findings have significant implications for the development of effective social media strategies during natural disasters and public health emergencies. In particular, this analysis identifies several predominant themes communicated through Zika-related tweets as well as a number of distinct communities and influential actors. The findings suggest that respected political actors, public institutions, as well as those with valid scientific credentials can help to facilitate the flow of accurate and vital information across disparate communities.
AB - While emerging technologies such as social media have demonstrated value for crisis communications, significant question remains regarding how these tools can be most effectively leveraged to facilitate the flow of valid information under crisis conditions. In an effort to address these issues, this article examines the use of Twitter during the 2015–2016 Zika virus outbreak in the United States. Particular attention is paid to network structures within the Zika conversation and how different actors and communities contribute to the flow of information throughout the broader Twitter community. Public-facing organizations can benefit from a deeper understanding of the nature and structure of spontaneously occurring communities on social media as well as the types of content that they create and circulate. As such, these findings have significant implications for the development of effective social media strategies during natural disasters and public health emergencies. In particular, this analysis identifies several predominant themes communicated through Zika-related tweets as well as a number of distinct communities and influential actors. The findings suggest that respected political actors, public institutions, as well as those with valid scientific credentials can help to facilitate the flow of accurate and vital information across disparate communities.
KW - Zika
KW - health emergency management
KW - social network analysis
KW - Twitter
KW - crisis informatics
UR - https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/si_facpub/631
UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439317721985
U2 - 10.1177/0894439317721985
DO - 10.1177/0894439317721985
M3 - Article
VL - 36
JO - Social Science Computer Review
JF - Social Science Computer Review
ER -