Internet Governance: Social Mentality and Public Emotion Analysis on Online Media during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Mainland China

Based on a systematical discussion of the logical relationship between social mentality as a psychological basis of social actions and institutions and social governance, and the online emotion as the core element of the dynamic tendency of internet-based social mentality to form emotional energy to promote the operation of the internet society, this paper conducts an empirical study on the online social mentality and public sentiment guidance during the COVID-19 epidemic in mainland China. We use more than 1 million Weibo dynamic data of 104 accounts of three different types including official media, self-media, and big V media and conduct emotional calculation and judgment to address our objectives. The results show that the public sentiment presented by Weibo as the carrier is mainly positive, among which the official media play a positive role in guiding emotions, while the role played by big Vs' is limited during the COVID-19 epidemic. There exists different public sentiment stemmed from the regional differences brought by the heterogeneity of social governance, economic and social development beyond the media guidance. The study provides valuable internet governance experience on how the government can guide the public to respond to and deal with the crisis with a positive attitude when major public health emergencies occur in the future. © 2022 IEEE.

The Relationship between Social Mentality and Health in Promoting Well-Being and Sustainable City.

In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), people's social mentality and mental health have been severely affected, which has hindered or even reversed the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is a lack of investigation into the potential relationship between social mentality and health, as well as of the comparison between different databases worldwide and in China, in the current context of COVID-19. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore the research hotspots and development trends of social mentality and health in China and worldwide, while improving people's health, building a sustainable society, and facilitating the achieving of the SDGs. A bibliometric method is employed in this paper from a macro-quantitative and micro-qualitative perspective to explore the research hotspots and trends of social mentality and health in the world and China from the two databases, namely the English-language Web of Science (WOS) and the Chinese-language China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The results indicate that: (1) By using keyword co-occurrence and clustering analysis via the CiteSpace software bibliometric tool, 11 current research hotspots have been identified and studies are increasing in terms of using the Chinese language and the English language. (2) The current studies in the CNKI database mainly focus on the macro social environmental factors affecting social mentality and population research, while the studies in the WOS database pay more attention to social mentality and health in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic situation and a variety of professions. Hence, future research could explore the influencing factors and cultivation methods toward a healthy social mentality from the perspective of methodology and toward achieving SDG 3, providing healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and SDG 11, building sustainable cities and communities in the post-pandemic COVID-19 era.

Changing Social Mentality among University Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Five-Wave Longitudinal Study in China.

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant shifts in university students' lives, which could be displayed by social mentality, a psychosocial conception at the individual and social levels. This five-wave longitudinal study aims to evaluate the changing social mentality of university students during the peak and preventive-order phases of the pandemic in China and investigate the trends and differences in social-demographic variables. (2) Methods: The Bi-Dimensional Structure Questionnaire of Social Mentality (B-DSMQ) was used to collect data from March 2020 to January 2021. Five-wave surveys were administered to 1319 students from five universities using online questionnaires. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the changes in social mentality over time and covariate groups. Linear mixed models were used to explore the associations of overall social mentality with time and covariates. Post hoc analysis was implemented within subgroups, including university, major, grade, parenting style, and the harmonious degree of parents. (3) Results: Students' social mentality changed significantly from Waves 1 to 5 (p < 0.001). It fell to its lowest in the third survey, increased in the fourth survey, and peaked in the fifth survey. In all of the subgroups, the changing social mentality differed significantly over time (p < 0.001). The p-values between groups suggested that changing social mentality was significantly different regarding gender, residence, university, major, grade, student cadre, graduates, nuclear family, economic status, parenting styles, and the harmonious degree of parents' relationship (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Social mentality among university students decreased during the peak of the pandemic before increasing in the contained-risk period. It was the lowest in June when students began to return to the pandemic-preventive campus from quarantined homes. Students living in provinces (except for Shandong) who were from high-level universities in 2016 and 2017 and who majored in medicine displayed a more negative social mentality. Students who were female, student cadres, non-graduates, and enjoying high socioeconomic status displayed a more positive social mentality. Further research is needed on the relationship between mental health and social mentality, specifically the associates and interventions for positive social mentality.