tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Telemat Inform
. 2021 Dec;65:101712.
doi: 10.1016/j.tele.2021.101712. Epub 2021 Sep 10.
Exploring public perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine online from a cultural perspective: Semantic network analysis of two social media platforms in the United States and China
Chen Luo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anfan Chen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Botao Cui[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Wang Liao[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The development and uptake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine is a top priority in stifling the COVID-19 pandemic. How the public perceives the COVID-19 vaccine is directly associated with vaccine compliance and vaccination coverage. This study takes a cultural sensitivity perspective and adopts two well-known social media platforms in the United States (Twitter) and China (Weibo) to conduct a public perception comparison around the COVID-19 vaccine. By implementing semantic network analysis, results demonstrate that the two countries' social media users overlapped in themes concerning domestic vaccination policies, priority groups, challenges from COVID-19 variants, and the global pandemic situation. However, Twitter users were prone to disclose individual vaccination experiences, express anti-vaccine attitudes. In comparison, Weibo users manifested evident deference to authorities and exhibited more positive feelings toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Those disparities were explained by the cultural characteristics' differences between the two countries. The findings provide insights into comprehending public health issues in cross-cultural contexts and illustrate the potential of utilizing social media to conduct health informatics studies and investigate public perceptions during public health crisis time.
Keywords: COVID-19; China; Cultural characteristic; Social media; United States; Vaccine.
. 2021 Dec;65:101712.
doi: 10.1016/j.tele.2021.101712. Epub 2021 Sep 10.
Exploring public perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine online from a cultural perspective: Semantic network analysis of two social media platforms in the United States and China
Chen Luo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anfan Chen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Botao Cui[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Wang Liao[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34887618
- PMCID: PMC8429027
- DOI: 10.1016/j.tele.2021.101712
Abstract
The development and uptake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine is a top priority in stifling the COVID-19 pandemic. How the public perceives the COVID-19 vaccine is directly associated with vaccine compliance and vaccination coverage. This study takes a cultural sensitivity perspective and adopts two well-known social media platforms in the United States (Twitter) and China (Weibo) to conduct a public perception comparison around the COVID-19 vaccine. By implementing semantic network analysis, results demonstrate that the two countries' social media users overlapped in themes concerning domestic vaccination policies, priority groups, challenges from COVID-19 variants, and the global pandemic situation. However, Twitter users were prone to disclose individual vaccination experiences, express anti-vaccine attitudes. In comparison, Weibo users manifested evident deference to authorities and exhibited more positive feelings toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Those disparities were explained by the cultural characteristics' differences between the two countries. The findings provide insights into comprehending public health issues in cross-cultural contexts and illustrate the potential of utilizing social media to conduct health informatics studies and investigate public perceptions during public health crisis time.
Keywords: COVID-19; China; Cultural characteristic; Social media; United States; Vaccine.