Will I die of coronavirus? Google Trends data reveal that politics determine virus fears

Timoneda, Joan C.; Vera, Sebastián Vallejo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0258189

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…GT is also used by political scientists to study public opinion (Vasconcellos-Silva et al, 2017), voter behavior (Raubenheimer et al, 2021), and political campaigns (Timoneda & Vallejo Vera, 2021). To elaborate, as an example, in political science, GT has been used to measure issue salience, a measure of how important an issue is to voters (Mellon, 2013(Mellon, , 2014.…”

Section: Applications In Academic Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

15 years of research on Google Trends: A bibliometric review and future research directions

Madsen

Silva

Sohail

2023

Preprint

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Google Trends is a free analytic tool for measuring and monitoring web search data. Since its introduction in 2006, it has been widely used in research in a variety of academic fields. In this study, we conducted a bibliometric study of the first 15 years of Google Trends research (2007–2022). We extracted bibliometric data from the Scopus database which were then analyzed quantitatively using the Bibliometrix software package. In the paper, two types of analyses are carried out: 1) a citation-based analysis that focuses on the overall publication trends and the identification of the most prolific authors, documents, journals, and countries, and 2) a mapping of themes in GT research and how these have evolved. Overall, the results show that the research on Google Trends has grown considerably in recent years, particularly since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Research on GT has also become more diverse in terms of themes, with finance, Covid-19 and other health-related topics being the new dominant areas of research. On the basis of the findings, several areas for future research are outlined.

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Section: Applications In Academic Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

15 years of research on Google Trends: A bibliometric review and future research directions

Madsen

Silva

Sohail

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Large numbers of individuals search for health information online [ 36 , 37 ]. As with previous infectious diseases [ 38 ], the public turned to the internet for information on the novel coronavirus [ 39 - 41 ]. Unfortunately, false information about the COVID-19 pandemic on social media has been extensive [ 42 - 44 ] and viewed by millions of people [ 45 ].…”

Section: Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media, Public Health, and Community Mitigation of COVID-19: Challenges, Risks, and Benefits

Basch¹,

Basch²,

Hillyer³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Shortly after the first case reports in 2019, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Early messages from trusted experts, which later proved to be inadequate or incorrect, highlight the need for continual adjustment of messages to the public as scientific knowledge evolves. During this time, social media exploded with greatly sought-after information, some of which was misinformation based on incomplete or incorrect facts or disinformation purposefully spread to advance a specific agenda. Because of the nature of social media, information, whether accurate or not at the time posted, lives on and remains accessible to the public even when its usefulness has been discredited. While the impact of mis/disinformation on COVID-19 risk-reducing behaviors is debatable, it is clear that social media has played a significant role in both extending the reach of COVID-19–related falsehoods and promoting evidence-based content. Over the last decade, social media has become a dominant source of information that consumers turn to for health information. A great deal of misinformation and disinformation has reached large numbers of social media users, which points to a need for the agencies of the US Public Health Service to create communications to convey accurate and current information and appeals that will actually be viewed. This viewpoint highlights the challenges, risks, and potential benefits that social media present in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…Large numbers of individuals search for health information online [36,37]. As with previous infectious diseases [38], the public turned to the internet for information on the novel coronavirus [39][40][41]. Unfortunately, false information about the COVID-19 pandemic on social media has been extensive [42][43][44] and viewed by millions of people [45].…”

Section: Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media, Public Health, and Community Mitigation of COVID-19: Challenges, Risks, and Benefits (Preprint)

Basch¹,

Basch²,

Hillyer³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

UNSTRUCTURED Shortly after the first case reports in 2019, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Early messages from trusted experts, which later proved to be inadequate or incorrect, highlight the need for continual adjustment of messages to the public as scientific knowledge evolves. During this time, social media exploded with greatly sought-after information, some of which was misinformation based on incomplete or incorrect facts or disinformation purposefully spread to advance a specific agenda. Because of the nature of social media, information, whether accurate or not at the time posted, lives on and remains accessible to the public even when its usefulness has been discredited. While the impact of mis/disinformation on COVID-19 risk-reducing behaviors is debatable, it is clear that social media has played a significant role in both extending the reach of COVID-19–related falsehoods and promoting evidence-based content. Over the last decade, social media has become a dominant source of information that consumers turn to for health information. A great deal of misinformation and disinformation has reached large numbers of social media users, which points to a need for the agencies of the US Public Health Service to create communications to convey accurate and current information and appeals that will actually be viewed. This viewpoint highlights the challenges, risks, and potential benefits that social media present in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

show abstract

Will I die of coronavirus? Google Trends data reveal that politics determine virus fears

Cited by 6 publications

References 25 publications

15 years of research on Google Trends: A bibliometric review and future research directions

15 years of research on Google Trends: A bibliometric review and future research directions

Social Media, Public Health, and Community Mitigation of COVID-19: Challenges, Risks, and Benefits

Social Media, Public Health, and Community Mitigation of COVID-19: Challenges, Risks, and Benefits (Preprint)

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