Lighthouse in the Mist

Abstract

Previous research has explored the interactions between public leaders and citizens through social media channels. However, there is a gap in our understanding regarding the communication of limited information to the public during times of crisis. This study focuses on the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic as a crisis scenario and investigates how state governors utilized Twitter to communicate with the public, as well as the subsequent impact on citizens' responses. Employing computational social science techniques, this research analyzes a dataset comprising 47,831 tweets posted by U.S. state governors during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, spanning from March to August 2020. The results affirm the crucial role of social media in crisis communication and offer insights into effective social media strategies for public communication.