Sitto Karabo, Lubinga Elizabeth, Chiumbu Sarah, Sobane Konosoang, Mpofu Nkosinothando
Department of Strategic Communication University of Johannesburg Johannesburg South Africa.
School of Communication University of Johannesburg Johannesburg South Africa.
World Med Health Policy. 2022 Jun;14(2):325-342. doi: 10.1002/wmh3.507. Epub 2022 Mar 23.
Governments during the Covid-19 pandemic in response to the challenge of reaching as many of their citizens as quickly as possible have relied on the use of digital media communication. Various stakeholders, however, have questioned whether strategic use of digital communication by governments has been effective during the Covid-19 health crisis. We thematically analyzed a public online bi-country webinar and conducted a netnographic analysis of South African Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize and Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services Twitter accounts to evaluate the effectiveness of government digital communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. Stakeholders and social media analysis highlight that government digital communication has lacked engagement, falling short in assisting citizens to understand the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We highlight the shortcomings of governments simply transmitting information on channels built for dialogue, the digital divide limiting reach, as well as how limited engagement opens up opportunities for misinformation.
在新冠疫情期间，各国政府为应对尽快覆盖尽可能多公民的挑战，依赖于数字媒体通信的使用。然而，不同利益相关者质疑政府对数字通信的战略运用在新冠健康危机期间是否有效。我们对一场公共在线双边网络研讨会进行了主题分析，并对南非卫生部长兹韦利·姆赫兹博士以及纳米比亚卫生和社会服务部的推特账户进行了网络民族志分析，以评估新冠疫情期间政府数字通信的有效性。利益相关者和社交媒体分析表明，政府数字通信缺乏互动，在帮助公民理解新冠疫情影响方面做得不够。我们强调了政府仅仅在为对话搭建的渠道上传递信息的缺点、限制覆盖面的数字鸿沟，以及有限的互动如何为错误信息创造了机会。
