COVID-19 Misinformation and Polarization on Twitter: #StayHome, #Plandemic, and Health Communication

Rebecca Godard, Susan Holtzman

Source Title: Research Anthology on Managing Crisis and Risk Communications

ISBN13: 9781668471456|ISBN10: 1668471450|EISBN13: 9781668471463

DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-7145-6.ch014

MLA

Godard, Rebecca, and Susan Holtzman. "COVID-19 Misinformation and Polarization on Twitter: #StayHome, #Plandemic, and Health Communication." Research Anthology on Managing Crisis and Risk Communications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, IGI Global, 2023, pp. 241-260. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7145-6.ch014

APA

Godard, R. & Holtzman, S. (2023). COVID-19 Misinformation and Polarization on Twitter: #StayHome, #Plandemic, and Health Communication. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Research Anthology on Managing Crisis and Risk Communications (pp. 241-260). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7145-6.ch014

Chicago

Godard, Rebecca, and Susan Holtzman. "COVID-19 Misinformation and Polarization on Twitter: #StayHome, #Plandemic, and Health Communication." In Research Anthology on Managing Crisis and Risk Communications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, 241-260. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2023. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7145-6.ch014

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Abstract

This study investigated polarization on Twitter related to the COVID-19 pandemic by examining tweets containing #Plandemic (suggests the pandemic is a hoax) or #StayHome (encourages compliance with health recommendations). Over 35,000 tweets from over 25,000 users were collected in April 2020 and examined using sentiment and social network analyses. Compared to #StayHome tweets, #Plandemic tweets came from a more tightly connected network, were higher in negative emotional content, and could be sub-divided into specific categories of misinformation and conspiracy theories. To evaluate the stability of users' COVID-related perspectives, the prevalence of pro- and anti-mask sentiment was measured in same users' tweets approximately four months later. Results revealed substantial stability over time, with 40% of #Plandemic users tweeting anti-mask hashtags compared to just 2% of #StayHome users. Findings demonstrate COVID-related polarization on Twitter and have implications for public health interventions to quell the propagation of misinformation.