A 4D Theoretical Framework for Measuring Topic-Specific Influence on Twitter: Development and Usability Study on...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Social Media Analytics

Background:

• Social media is key for health promotion, but effective strategies on platforms like Twitter remain unclear.
• Existing tools for analyzing influence lack a consolidated, publicly accessible framework.
• There's a need to understand how to best disseminate health information on social media.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a theoretical framework for measuring topic-specific user influence on Twitter.
• To assess the framework's usability by analyzing dietary sodium tweets.
• To support public health agencies in optimizing social media dissemination strategies.

Main Methods:

• Developed a consolidated framework measuring influence based on activity, priority, originality, and popularity.
• Framework is visualized and computed without requiring private Twitter access.
• Demonstrated usability via a case study on dietary sodium tweets, comparing it to traditional influence measures.

Main Results:

• Analyzed over 500,000 dietary sodium tweets from 2006-2022.
• Identified top influencers: World Health Organization, American Heart Association, UN-FAO, and WASH.
• Highlighted varied strengths in dissemination strategies and distinct tweeting patterns among influencers.

Conclusions:

• The framework aligns with traditional influence measures and enhances analysis through four key dimensions.
• Provides quantifiable insights for public health entities to refine social media campaigns.
• Applicable to various health topics, aiding policymakers in maximizing population impact.