Institutional Framing and Contextual Meaning in United States Public Health Tweets During Covid 19

• In Event: Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 12. Health & Covid-19

Abstract

This study examines how state and federal public health agencies differ in institutional
framing and whether core Covid related terms show contextual semantic divergence
across institutional levels. It also explores whether state political context is associated with
differences in messaging. The study is qualitative in orientation because it is motivated by interpretive
questions about institutional framing and meaning in context; computational measures are
used to surface patterned differences that can be examined later through targeted qualitative
examination of tweets.

Authors

• Saba Omidian, New Mexico State University

• Marshall A. Taylor, New Mexico State University

• Heather Harper, New Mexico State University