Reddit as a Source of COVID-19 Information: A Content Analysis of r/coronavirus During the Early Pandemic

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Brent J. Hale

University of Southern Mississippi (Correspondence: brent.hale@usm.edu)

Mark Alberta

Indiana University

Seung Woo Chae

Indiana University

Citation: Hale, B. J., Alberta, M., & Chae, S. W. (2022). Reddit as a source of COVID-19 information: A content analysis of r/coronavirus during the early pandemic. Journal of Communication Technology, 5(1), 26-57. https://doi.org/10.51548/joctec-2022-002

Abstract: Emerging research has begun examining the utility of social media platforms for information dissemination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this developing thread, this work examines discourse within r/coronavirus, a Reddit forum (i.e., subreddit) developed to curate COVID-19 information that burgeoned during the early months of the pandemic. Through a content analysis of 226 posts and 2260 corresponding comments generated between February and May, 2020, this study investigated early-pandemic communication patterns in this platform, including what information was deemed important and how users framed causes and solutions. Overall, findings indicate that users of r/coronavirus prioritized information about COVID-19 spread, public health information (e.g., mask mandates), political and economic implications of COVID-19, and the experiences of medical workers, while also shaming people who failed to follow public health guidelines. Discourse was collectivistically oriented and negatively valenced, and engagement with the subreddit decreased over time, suggesting COVID-19 fatigue among r/coronavirus users. Taken together, this study provides a window into early pandemic discourse, furthering our understanding of COVID-19 communication in early 2020 and revealing informational needs that could be targeted during future health emergencies. Furthermore, progressive fatigue in r/coronavirus (i.e., decreasing curational motivation) showcases a difficulty facing public health communicators during a pandemic’s emergence.

Keywords: COVID-19, social media, health communication, pandemic communication, Reddit