Abstract
This study aimed to identify what information triggered social media users’ responses regarding infectious diseases. Chinese microblogs in 2012 regarding 42 infectious diseases were obtained through a keyword search in the Weiboscope database. Qualitative content analysis was performed for the posts pertinent to each keyword of the day of the year with the highest daily count. Similar posts were grouped and coded. We identified five categories of information that increased microblog traffic pertaining to infectious diseases: news of an outbreak or a case; health education / information; alternative health information / Traditional Chinese Medicine; commercial advertisement / entertainment; and social issues. News unrelated to the specified infectious diseases also led to elevated microblog traffic. Our study showcases the diverse contexts from which increased social media traffic occur. Our results will facilitate better health communication as causes underlying increased social media traffic are revealed.
Highlights
Social media have become increasingly useful in digital disease detection and surveillance [1,2,3,4], such as Twitter data analysis in experimental digital surveillance of influenza [5,6] and cholera [7]
Social media are used as communication tools in public health [8,9,10,11,12], such as health communications via Twitter on breast cancer and diabetes [13,14]
We identified 5 categories, namely, news of an outbreak or a case, health education / information, alternative health information, commercial advertisement / entertainment, and social issues
Summary
Social media have become increasingly useful in digital disease detection and surveillance [1,2,3,4], such as Twitter data analysis in experimental digital surveillance of influenza [5,6] and cholera [7]. Social media are used as communication tools in public health [8,9,10,11,12], such as health communications via Twitter on breast cancer and diabetes [13,14]. Equivalent to Twitter, which is blocked by the Chinese authorities, Weibo is a popular microblogging service in China [15]. By the end of 2012, Sina Weibo, the leading service provider, PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0126092. Social Media and 42 Diseases in China By the end of 2012, Sina Weibo, the leading service provider, PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0126092 May 6, 2015
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