How Medical YouTubers Communicated About COVID-19
Author Information
Author(s): Chae Seung Woo, Hara Noriko, Shiroiya Harshit Rakesh, Chen Janice, Ogihara Ellen
Primary Institution: Texas Tech University
Hypothesis
How can scientists best utilize social media to share scientific information with the public?
Conclusion
Medical YouTubers' analytical thinking positively influenced viewer engagement, while their emotional expressions had mixed effects.
Supporting Evidence
- Medical YouTubers' analytical thinking was positively associated with the number of views.
- Anxiety expressed by YouTubers was positively correlated with the number of likes and comments.
- Positive emotions were negatively associated with the number of views.
Takeaway
This study looked at how doctors on YouTube talked about COVID-19 and how their words made people feel and engage with their videos.
Methodology
The study analyzed 194 COVID-related video transcripts and 375,284 comments using natural language processing to assess language and emotional dimensions.
Potential Biases
The use of LIWC software may not accurately capture sarcasm or online slang.
Limitations
The sample was limited to five YouTube channels and only included male medical YouTubers.
Participant Demographics
The sample included five medical YouTubers, four from the U.S. and one from the U.K.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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