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To wear or not to wear, was that the question? Understanding citizen responses to COVID-19 crisis management in social media across Europe

Liste, Lucia ; Johnson, Victoria LU ; Costa, Sara and Karlsen, André (2024) In Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 32(2).
Abstract

This study aims to gain qualitative insights about and compare public responses to COVID-19 crisis management during the different pandemic phases and across three countries—Norway, Sweden and Italy. To do so, we have carried out a qualitative content analysis of a selection of 2606 tweets containing the term ‘face mask’ in Italian, Norwegian, and Swedish published between March 1, 2020 and June 31, 2022. The article combines risk society theses with social practice theory as a lens through which to examine public responses to crisis management. Analyzing the data from Norway, Sweden, and Italy, this article discusses the extent to which individualism, reflexive modernization, and cosmopolitanism account for citizen responses to... (More)

This study aims to gain qualitative insights about and compare public responses to COVID-19 crisis management during the different pandemic phases and across three countries—Norway, Sweden and Italy. To do so, we have carried out a qualitative content analysis of a selection of 2606 tweets containing the term ‘face mask’ in Italian, Norwegian, and Swedish published between March 1, 2020 and June 31, 2022. The article combines risk society theses with social practice theory as a lens through which to examine public responses to crisis management. Analyzing the data from Norway, Sweden, and Italy, this article discusses the extent to which individualism, reflexive modernization, and cosmopolitanism account for citizen responses to authority's crisis management efforts in each of the countries during the different phases of the pandemic. Findings highlight the crucial role of socio-cultural contexts that shape citizen responses to crisis management over time, showcasing a spectrum of attitudes ranging from scepticism and critique to trust and compliance. This comparative analysis underscores the importance of considering the dynamic interplay between criticism and support, individualism and collectivism, as well as global and local experiences in understanding diverse and situated societal responses to crisis management during a global pandemic. The article also points to social media as a meaningful arena where individuals and groups share information and participate in discussions that shape collective views, thus having a significant role in shaping citizen responses to COVID-19 crisis management and influencing decision-making.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
citizen responses, COVID-19, face mask, pandemic practices, risk society, Twitter
in
Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management
volume
32
issue
2
article number
e12584
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85194865800
ISSN
0966-0879
DOI
10.1111/1468-5973.12584
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
745635a6-d4ad-49ce-804d-c570cf2c583f
date added to LUP
2024-08-20 12:43:28
date last changed
2024-08-20 12:44:13
@article{745635a6-d4ad-49ce-804d-c570cf2c583f,
  abstract     = {{<p>This study aims to gain qualitative insights about and compare public responses to COVID-19 crisis management during the different pandemic phases and across three countries—Norway, Sweden and Italy. To do so, we have carried out a qualitative content analysis of a selection of 2606 tweets containing the term ‘face mask’ in Italian, Norwegian, and Swedish published between March 1, 2020 and June 31, 2022. The article combines risk society theses with social practice theory as a lens through which to examine public responses to crisis management. Analyzing the data from Norway, Sweden, and Italy, this article discusses the extent to which individualism, reflexive modernization, and cosmopolitanism account for citizen responses to authority's crisis management efforts in each of the countries during the different phases of the pandemic. Findings highlight the crucial role of socio-cultural contexts that shape citizen responses to crisis management over time, showcasing a spectrum of attitudes ranging from scepticism and critique to trust and compliance. This comparative analysis underscores the importance of considering the dynamic interplay between criticism and support, individualism and collectivism, as well as global and local experiences in understanding diverse and situated societal responses to crisis management during a global pandemic. The article also points to social media as a meaningful arena where individuals and groups share information and participate in discussions that shape collective views, thus having a significant role in shaping citizen responses to COVID-19 crisis management and influencing decision-making.</p>}},
  author       = {{Liste, Lucia and Johnson, Victoria and Costa, Sara and Karlsen, André}},
  issn         = {{0966-0879}},
  keywords     = {{citizen responses; COVID-19; face mask; pandemic practices; risk society; Twitter}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management}},
  title        = {{To wear or not to wear, was that the question? Understanding citizen responses to COVID-19 crisis management in social media across Europe}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12584}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/1468-5973.12584}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}