Felicia Song & Masudul Biswas, Louisiana State University. Sea Grant Week 2010

1. Felicia Song
&
Masudul Biswas
Louisiana State University

2. Social Media &
New Communication Potentials
User-generated content
Networking capacity
Interactivity

3. Social Media Use Today
About 73% of American teens and young adults,
and 40% of adults aged over 30 used social
networking sites in 2009 (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith,
& Zickuhr, 2010).
SNS users ages 50 and over have nearly-doubled
from 22% in 2009 to 42% in 2010 (Madden, 2010).
Nearly 1 in 5 Internet users is using Twitter or
another service to share & see personal and
business updates. (October 2009)

4. Nuances in the Digital Divides
Who is online?
From 2000 - 2010, internet users who are black or
Latino has nearly doubled—from 11% to 21%. BUT,
language, economic disadvantage, and
conditions of access still matter.

5. Nuances in the Digital Divides
Of those who are online…
Digital access is increasingly mobile, especially for
people of color (70% are texting)
Nearly ½ of black internet users go to a social
networking site on a typical day (vs. just 1/3 of white
internet users)
25% of online African-Americans use Twitter & other
status update services (vs. 15% of white internet users)

6. ROLES OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN PANDEMIC
COMMUNICATION: A STUDY
The study examined the use of social networking
sites by the CDC and the WHO in the context of
the H1N1 flu outbreak
It compared (1) types of messages; (2) relationships
to message trends on official websites; and (3)
levels of interaction with users

7. POTENTIALS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Quick & live communication
Widget compatible and simultaneously
accessible on and from multiple platforms
Allows users to interact within network
Pushes web traffic to official web sites/web
pages

8. STUDY SAMPLE
Content analysis of Twitter updates, Facebook posts, and
official website posts/ messages.
243 Twitter updates, 251 Facebook messages and
comments, and 222 web site posts disseminated by CDC
and WHO, April - July, 2009.
Twitter pages: CDCflu, CDCemergency,
CDC_eHealth, whonews
Facebook pages: CDC and WHO

9. FINDINGS
Types of message content about H1N1 on
Twitter, Facebook, and official websites
- Investigation or diagnosis
- Preventive and safety measure
- Treatment issues
- Situation updates
- “web-promotion” messages

10. FINDINGS
Differences between CDC and WHO usage?
WHO: more situation update-related messages on both
Twitter and Facebook pages
CDC: the CDCflu and CDCemergency posted more messages
on situation updates on Twitter pages, and more messages
on preventive and safety issues on their Facebook page.
Twitter page CDC_eHealth mainly posted web-promotion
messages.

11. FINDINGS
Did Twitter and Facebook pages reflect the message-
focus of the official websites?
WHO
- Message postings on Twitter and Facebook pages
reflected messaging trends of their official website.
- The official website posted more situation updates than
messages on investigation, prevention and safety, and
treatment.

12. FINDINGS
Did Twitter and Facebook pages reflect the message-
focus of the official websites?
CDC
- The Facebook page reflected the messaging trend of the
official website and posted more messages on prevention
and safety than other messages.
- BUT the combination of three Twitter pages posted
more situation updates than other four types of messages.

13. FINDINGS
Did CDC and WHO use Facebook and Twitter for
interactivity?
Facebook
-CDC and WHO did not directly interact or exchange
messages with Facebook users.
-But Facebook users interacted with other users on the H1N1
flu situation on Facebook pages of the CDC and the WHO.

14. FINDINGS
Did CDC and WHO use Facebook and Twitter for
interactivity?
Twitter
- CDC only shared or re-tweeted the messages from
government organizations and other CDC Twitter pages.
They did not react to messages of other Twitter users on
Twitter.
- WHO also did not interact with other Twitter users.

15. Conclusions & Assumptions
Social media function as supportive tools for website-based
interventions during a case of outbreak communication, requiring
speedy and constant dissemination of essential messages to
address situational uncertainty.
Both CDC and WHO avoided any engagement or interaction,
particularly involving unconfirmed information.
The structure of Twitter is more effective in avoiding rumor
and misinformation than Facebook in pandemic or emergency
situations.

16. Effective use of Facebook & Twitter
Facebook Twitter
Educational (in combination
with YouTube/podcasting/an
online discussion forum)
Interaction/Participation
Promoting website content
Routine & Emergency Updates
Monitoring / Crowdsourcing
Networking & Creating Lists
Promoting website content
Promoting researchers
(encouraging researchers to
tweet)
Separate Twitter page for news
media

17. Conclusion: Questions to Address
Who is your audience?
What is your purpose of communication?
What is the nature of your message content?

18. Social Media Strategies/Planning
Issues Oil spill, Seafood safety, rip currents,
beaches
Nature of
Communication
Routine OR emergency/ crisis?
Identifying
Audiences/Publics
Priority OR Target external publics?
Active OR Passive external publics?
Planning & Developing
Messages
•Informative (research-based OR situational?)
•Participatory (for the purpose of idea
generation)
•Gathering and monitoring public
perception/opinion on SEA Grant-related issues