Abstract
This research presents a diachronic study of the information given about COVID-19 by the main Spanish mass media through their accounts on social networks. The time frame of the analysis ranges from 1 March to 21 June 2020. Data were collected from the days prior to the proclamation of the state of alarm in Spain, in order to observe the growth in the demand for information about COVID-19, and ended on the day that the Spanish government allowed mobility between provinces and, consequently, the expiration of the alarm. It begins with a quantitative and qualitative analysis, the results of which allow us to explain the demand for public information, the degree of interest in the news and the level of interaction that developed. By adapting the Kübler-Ross model, it has been possible to identify the different stages of this public health and communication crisis in relation to public information and media sustainability. It has established the effectiveness of Facebook as an information platform with direct links to news, superior to other networks; the users’ predilection for issues of a social nature over political and technical–health issues; or the relationship found between the rate of publication of messages and the number of deaths from COVID-19.
Highlights
Introduction and Theoretical ConsiderationsThe COVID-19 crisis has generated concerns in society and, a significant demand for information from global citizens
In this article we will connect the need for public information through traditional media and social media when responding to a health crisis
This research aims to identify the behavior of traditional media on social networks and their information offered during the crisis caused by COVID-19
Summary
Introduction and Theoretical ConsiderationsThe COVID-19 crisis has generated concerns in society and, a significant demand for information from global citizens. It is worth mentioning previous work that addresses information sustainability on social networks about COVID-19 and the social discussion caused by the consumption of online content [1]. This online content may be from official and reliable sources as well as questionable sources [2,3,4] that have led to the coining of terms such as ‘info-demic’ or an ‘epidemic of false information’ which are defined by rumors or fraudulent information with the capacity to amplify the spread of social behaviors that may be deemed negative or harmful [5,6]. Analysis of the communication by institutions [7] or comparative studies between digital media and the paper-based press [8] have been proposed
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