Retweets, Receipts, and Resistance: Discourse, Sentiment, and Credibility in Public Health Crisis Twitter

TL;DR

This study analyzes two years of CDC-related COVID-19 tweets to understand discourse, credibility, and engagement, revealing polarization, critique patterns, and informing strategies to improve public health communication on social media.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive mixed methods analysis of CDC Twitter communication during COVID-19, highlighting polarization, critique dynamics, and proposing design strategies for better crisis communication.

Findings

CDC tweets were largely one-directional with limited interaction

COVID-19 discussions were polarized politically and ideologically

Users often cited CDC messages to critique guidance

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used Twitter to disseminate safety guidance and updates, reaching millions of users. This study analyzes two years of tweets from, to, and about the CDC using a mixed methods approach to examine discourse characteristics, credibility, and user engagement. We found that the CDCs communication remained largely one directional and did not foster reciprocal interaction, while discussions around COVID19 were deeply shaped by political and ideological polarization. Users frequently cited earlier CDC messages to critique new and sometimes contradictory guidance. Our findings highlight the role of sentiment, media richness, and source credibility in shaping the spread of public health messages. We propose design strategies to help the CDC tailor communications to diverse user groups and manage misinformation more effectively during high-stakes health crises.