Combating misinformation in times of COVID-19: A comparison of the social network strategies of the Spanish government and the autonomous communities

Abstract

Social networks offer excellent opportunities for healthcare organizations to disseminate information and communicate with individuals during a health crisis, since they can influence health-related decisions and perspectives. In this paper we compare strategies carried out by the Spanish government and the autonomous community authorities on several social networks (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). In spite of offering two-way communications, actual use of such platforms was one-way. In addition, some agencies did not have profiles on these platforms; in fact, two agenices were not present on Instagram, the platform with the youngest users. Finally, there was an increasing use of images on social network postings. Results demonstrate that in times of health crisis, some governmental agencies employ social networks mainly as a tool to disseminate information.