This study aims to understand public discussions regarding COVID-19 vaccine on Parler, a newer social media platform that recently gained in popularity. Through analyzing a random sample (n = 400) of Parler posts using the hashtags #COVID19Vaccine and #NoCovidVaccine, we use the concept of echo chambers to understand users’ discussions through a text analytics approach. Thematic analysis reveals five key themes: reasons to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine (40%), side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine (28%), population control through the COVID-19 vaccine (23%), children getting vaccinated without parental consent (5%), and comparison of other health issues with COVID-19 (2%). Textual analysis shows that the most frequently used words in the corpus were: nocovidvaccine (348); vaccine (264); covid (184); covid19 (157); and vaccines (128). These findings suggest that users adopted different terms and hashtags to express their beliefs regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Further, findings revealed that users used certain hashtags such as “echo” to encourage like-minded people to reinforce their existing beliefs on COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and vaccine acceptance. These findings have implications for public health communication in attempts to correct false narratives on social media platforms. Through widely sharing the scientific findings of COVID-19 vaccine-related studies can help individuals understand the COVID-19 vaccines efficacy accurately.

Since the COVID‐19 pandemic started, Asians, particularly those in Chinese communities, have faced increased discrimination and overt racism in addition to the virus itself. In this study, the authors examined social representations of COVID‐19 in mainstream newspapers. We evaluated 451 articles from three major publications representing three countries: China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. A qualitative thematic analysis, conducted through the lens of social representations theory (SRT) and its concept of cognitive polyphasia, revealed four major themes: (a) the virus’ portrayal as a threat; (b) the racialization of COVID‐19 as a multi‐faceted threat; (c) calls for collectivization to curb the racialization of the virus; and (d) speculative solutions to end discrimination against Asians. Our results suggest that print media emphasize the idea that global efforts must be made to change how people think about, talk about, and understand the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Based on 15 in-depth interviews, the present study aims to understand the common challenges international graduate students face and the coping strategies they employed, types of SNS used, and social support sought from their relationship during graduate school. Common challenges faced are loneliness, stress, feeling overwhelmed with graduate school, and difficulties adjusting to a new culture. Coping strategies include sharing experiences with relations whom they trust and understand their situation, and joining online communities via SNS. The participants use both public and private SNS to seek social support depending on the various functionalities offered. SNS use depends on the affordances such as convenience, affordability, trust issues, and privacy. Most sought-after type of social support are emotional and informational via SNS.

The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated existing challenges for racial/ethnic minority immigrants in the U.S. in obtaining health information and seeking health care. Based on in-depth interviews with 49 racial/ethnic minority immigrants in the U.S. Midwest, this study examines how they navigated online health information related to general health issues and in particular COVID-19, how they encounter online misinformation related to COVID-19 vaccination and their willingness to get vaccinated. Results show that participants use online health information from both the U.S. and their home country to stay informed about the pandemic, but often encounter misinformation and hate speech online. Further, participants are hesitant to correct misinformation due to contentious online environment. Additionally, findings revealed that younger participants tended to be less willing to get vaccinated due to low perceived benefits. The study suggests scholarly and practical implications for those who work in the area of health communication, digital media messaging and minority communication.

Since 2008, U.S. newspaper jobs have been cut 51%, forcing journalists to seek new jobs and possibly careers. This study examined how journalists who lost their newspaper jobs (N = 306) navigated the emotional and physical toll of unemployment and adjusted to new work norms. Furthermore, this article examined how displaced journalists managed after returning to the workforce. Implications here might be indicators of what to expect for those who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social media offer the opportunity for much public discourse, but also come with the potential to spread misinformation far and wide. This study investigates how older adults respond to misinformation on social media and how their responses vary by sociodemographic factors and digital skills. Based on survey data collected in 2023 from 2000 adults ages 60+, we find that many users take a multifaceted approach to assessing false or misleading information on social media. The most common strategies are reading the comments for validation and checking the source. The prevalence of such responses to misinformation highlights older adults’ active participation in information verification on social media. Findings also suggest that those who use the internet less frequently and those with lower social media skills are less likely to use such strategies suggesting that digital inequality is at play when it comes to responding to misinformation.