Retweeting risk communication: The role of threat and efficacy

This study aims to address the question of how to optimize risk messages for diffusion across networks and, as a result, increase message exposure. In this study the researchers add to this growing body of research by identifying message-level strategies to increase message passing during high-ambiguity events. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook provide risk communicators with the opportunity to quickly reach their constituents at the time of an emerging infectious disease.

The results suggest that severity and efficacy information increase how frequently messages get passed on to others.  At the time of an emerging infectious disease, public officials must quickly communicate information that will help people assess their risk and persuade them to take actions to protect themselves. The results from this study suggest that public officials can optimize the diffusion of messages on social media by designing and timing messages to increase their diffusion across networks and reach larger audiences.