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Trending health narratives : the Zika virus outbreak 2015-16 in Brazil Moura Lopes, Luiz Henrique
Abstract
This study explores the intersections of social media and health communication, focusing on the trending narratives on Twitter during the 2015-16 Zika virus outbreak, in Brazil. It examines how social media data provides insights into current media practices, as a way of improving health communication strategies and literacy during epidemics. This project uses a qualitative study framework to illustrate the phenomenon under examination, drawing a theoretical thematic analysis as a method (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings from this thesis reveal how increases in Zika-related news commentaries seemed to have shifted the topics and the tone of Zika-related conversations on Twitter. This project further explores the interconnectedness between the volume of Zika-related mentions on Twitter and external media events, which echoes relevant scholarship (Fu et al., 2016; Dredze, Broniatowski & Hilyard, 2016). Finally, it also discusses the opportunities and limitations of social media for health communication, addressing traditional inequalities and power dynamics.
Item Metadata
Title |
Trending health narratives : the Zika virus outbreak 2015-16 in Brazil
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2017
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Description |
This study explores the intersections of social media and health communication, focusing
on the trending narratives on Twitter during the 2015-16 Zika virus outbreak, in Brazil. It
examines how social media data provides insights into current media practices, as a way of
improving health communication strategies and literacy during epidemics. This project uses a
qualitative study framework to illustrate the phenomenon under examination, drawing a
theoretical thematic analysis as a method (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Findings from this thesis
reveal how increases in Zika-related news commentaries seemed to have shifted the topics and
the tone of Zika-related conversations on Twitter. This project further explores the
interconnectedness between the volume of Zika-related mentions on Twitter and external media
events, which echoes relevant scholarship (Fu et al., 2016; Dredze, Broniatowski & Hilyard,
2016). Finally, it also discusses the opportunities and limitations of social media for health
communication, addressing traditional inequalities and power dynamics.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2017-04-24
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0345598
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2017-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International