Digital opinion leaders in the time of COVID-19: the role of the National Association of Health Reporters on Twitter in the struggle against the pandemic

ABSTRACT

The National Association of Health Informants is one of the largest sectoral press associations in Spain, with more than 700 members. During the COVID-19 crisis, its role in the management and dissemination of information can be considered fundamental. The overall objective of this research was to analyze how communication occurs between members of the National Association of Health Informants regarding COVID-19 on Twitter. All tweets and interactions between associates were downloaded and the network generated by them was analyzed;the most influential members were identified through measures of centrality and the content of the tweets with the highest diffusion and engagement was examined. After identifying expressions that appeared more frequently, a semantic analysis was made to extract the most relevant topics. The data showed a poorly cohesive network, where users interact little with each other. Both the Association and its members focus mainly on the dissemination of awareness-raising messages, with relevant information related to the disease, training, social denunciation and humor. A more coordinated and interactive use of the social network by the members of the Association would be desirable to increase the reach and dissemination of their messages. © 2022, Centro Nacional de Informacion de Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.