Exploring Public Health Agencies’ Communication on Social Media in the Early Stages of the Covid-19 Pandemic

An International Perspective

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic created a significant challenge for public health agencies worldwide. Many have turned to social media as a tool for pandemic-related information dissemination. However, research on the effectiveness of social media for pandemic communication is still limited. This study explores social media communication by health agencies during the early stages of the pandemic in four countries which differ in their pandemic dynamics, cultural and geopolitical factors: the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, and the United States. We focus on Twitter and identify themes present in the health agencies’ communication, as well as their relationship with the publics’ engagement. We find that the health agencies’ communication was mostly neutral and focused on providing sources for more information about the virus and basic information about the virus, however, there are differences between the countries.