Typology of Tweets and User Engagement Generated by U.S. Companies Involved in Developing COVID-19 Vaccines

Priyanka Khandelwal University of Nebraska–Lincoln ; Leslie Ramos Salazar West Texas A&M University ; Soni Khandelwal Texas Tech University

Abstract

This study analyzes 295 tweets by four U.S. companies engaged in discovering a vaccine for COVID-19. Tweets were analyzed to understand how their Twitter feeds balanced corporate and product branding (vaccine, medicines, etc.) and disseminated scientific information relating to COVID-19. The results suggest that these companies were actively embedding technical information about COVID-19 in their corporate and product branding. Tweets providing technical and scientific information about the progress made toward developing a COVID-19 vaccine garnered high levels of user engagement from their target audience. Findings from this study indicate the growing importance of technical communication in corporate settings during a public health crisis.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2023-07-01
DOI
10.1177/10506519231161654
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  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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