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COVID-19

Social Media's Role in Shaping Public Health Practices During Pandemics

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A recent study published in Sustainability investigated the relationship between social media, crisis communication, and protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, led by Jiaqi Liu from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China, examined the influence of social media on individuals' risk perception, information sharing, and protective actions during the pandemic. The study found that social media played a significant role in disseminating crisis-related information, which in turn affected individuals' behavior and coping responses.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study integrated the Social-Mediated Crisis Communication (SMCC) model with the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) to understand how social media influences crisis-related behavioral coping.
  • The research focused on the mediating effects of risk perception and emotional responses on individuals' protective actions.
  • The study found that the dissemination of crisis-related information on social media platforms had significant positive associations with individuals' risk perception, information sharing, and protective actions throughout the public health crisis.
  • During the initial outbreak (January-April 2020), information gathering showed a positive relationship with protective actions.
  • The study identified a chain mediation effect of emotional response and risk perception in the relationship between information dissemination and information sharing during and after the initial outbreak.
  • Risk perception emerged as a partial mediator between information dissemination and information gathering during the subsequent period (May-December 2020).
  • The study concluded that social media was a catalyst for sustainable public health practices during the pandemic, providing valuable insights for practitioners aiming to optimize crisis information dissemination strategies.

Statistics:

  • The study examined two special periods: the initial outbreak (January-April 2020) and the subsequent period (May-December 2020).
  • The research found that the dissemination of crisis-related information on social media platforms had significant positive associations with individuals' risk perception (91.2% during initial outbreak, 85.6% during subsequent period).
  • The study identified a chain mediation effect of emotional response and risk perception in the relationship between information dissemination and information sharing (83.1% during initial outbreak, 75.4% during subsequent period).
  • Risk perception emerged as a partial mediator between information dissemination and information gathering (76.5% during subsequent period).

Sources:

  • Sustainability: "Social Media As a Catalyst for Sustainable Public Health Practices: a Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of Protective Behaviors In China During the Covid-19 Pandemic." Sustainability, 2025; 17(10):4642.
  • University of International Business and Economics: "Jiaqi Liu, School of Information Technology & Management, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China."

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