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How did Ebola information spread on twitter: broadcasting or viral spreading?
Hai Liang1,2, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung3,4,5, Zion Tsz Ho Tse6
1School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
BMC Public Health
|April 27, 2019
Summary
Broadcasting, not viral spreading, dominated Ebola information on Twitter. Influential users, including hidden ones, are key to public health messaging, though their credibility needs assessment.
Area of Science:
- Social Network Analysis
- Public Health Communication
- Information Diffusion
Background:
- Online social networks facilitate rapid spread of health information and emotions.
- Understanding information diffusion patterns (broadcasting vs. viral) is crucial for public health.
- Limited knowledge exists on how health information specifically spreads on social media platforms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the spreading patterns of Ebola information on Twitter.
- To identify influential users in the dissemination of Ebola messages.
- To differentiate between broadcasting and viral spreading mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Collected global Ebola-related tweets from March 2014 to May 2015.
- Reconstructed retweeting paths using tweet content and follower relationships.
- Applied social network analysis to classify users (influential, hidden influential, disseminator, common).
Main Results:
- Broadcasting (one-to-many) was the dominant information spread mechanism (91% direct retweets).
- Most retweeting paths were shallow (47.5% depth of 1).
- Influential and hidden influential users generated more retweets than disseminators and common users.
Conclusions:
- Broadcasting is the primary method for health event information on Twitter.
- Collaborating with influential and hidden influential users can enhance public health outreach.
- Hidden influential users offer a potentially cost-effective communication strategy, pending credibility verification.
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