Emotions play key role on social media during outbreaks

Examining the role of fear and anger in connection with exposure to MERS-related information through social media, researchers at the University of Illinois (UI) found that those with higher levels of fear and anger related to the disease were more likely to report that they consumed more information about it through social media.

The researchers found those emotions appeared to play a role, fear more than anger, in motivating those who had consumed more disease information through social media to engage in preventative behavior.

Infectious disease became a particular interest with the growing use of social media, said Sang-Hwa Oh, a professor in advertising at UI and lead author of the study.

People during outbreaks come to social media in search of the most-updated information. Especially when other government or media sources are lacking or misleading, social media offers the ability to share information immediately and with a wide range of people, and it is accessible all the time from everywhere, Oh said.

Social media also makes it easy to share emotions, Oh said. "People's initial reaction to an infectious-disease outbreak can be very emotional and intense. They think about how that kind of disease can affect them, immediately, or their family."

"I became particularly interested in how government can play a better role in explaining or communicating with the population regarding risk issues," she added.

The study has been published online by the journal Health Communication.