scholarly journals Assessing Public Interest Based on Wikipedia’s Most Visited Medical Articles During the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak: Search Trends Analysis

10.2196/26331 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. e26331
Author(s):  
Jędrzej Chrzanowski ◽  
Julia Sołek ◽  
Wojciech Fendler ◽  
Dariusz Jemielniak
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Direct Proof ◽  
Forecast Model ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Epidemiologic Surveillance ◽  
Low Degrees ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Medical Articles

Background In the current era of widespread access to the internet, we can monitor public interest in a topic via information-targeted web browsing. We sought to provide direct proof of the global population’s altered use of Wikipedia medical knowledge resulting from the new COVID-19 pandemic and related global restrictions. Objective We aimed to identify temporal search trends and quantify changes in access to Wikipedia Medicine Project articles that were related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of medical articles across nine language versions of Wikipedia and country-specific statistics for registered COVID-19 deaths. The observed patterns were compared to a forecast model of Wikipedia use, which was trained on data from 2015 to 2019. The model comprehensively analyzed specific articles and similarities between access count data from before (ie, several years prior) and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wikipedia articles that were linked to those directly associated with the pandemic were evaluated in terms of degrees of separation and analyzed to identify similarities in access counts. We assessed the correlation between article access counts and the number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases and deaths to identify factors that drove interest in these articles and shifts in public interest during the subsequent phases of the pandemic. Results We observed a significant (P<.001) increase in the number of entries on Wikipedia medical articles during the pandemic period. The increased interest in COVID-19–related articles temporally correlated with the number of global COVID-19 deaths and consistently correlated with the number of region-specific COVID-19 deaths. Articles with low degrees of separation were significantly similar (P<.001) in terms of access patterns that were indicative of information-seeking patterns. Conclusions The analysis of Wikipedia medical article popularity could be a viable method for epidemiologic surveillance, as it provides important information about the reasons behind public attention and factors that sustain public interest in the long term. Moreover, Wikipedia users can potentially be directed to credible and valuable information sources that are linked with the most prominent articles.

Epidemics and History: Multiple Approaches to the Subject

2021 ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Dmitriy Mikhel
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Medical Texts ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Media ◽  
New Generation ◽  
The 19Th Century

The problems of epidemics have increasingly attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. The history of epidemics has its own historiography, which dates to the physician Hippocrates and the historian Thucydides. Up to the 19th century, historians followed their ideas, but due to the progress in medical knowledge that began at that time, they almost lost interest in the problems of epidemics. In the early 20th century, due to the development of microbiology and epidemiology, a new form of the historiography of epidemics emerged: the natural history of diseases which was developed by microbiologists. At the same time, medical history was reborn, and its representatives saw their task as proving to physicians the usefulness of studying ancient medical texts. Among the representatives of the new generation of medical historians, authors who contributed to the development of the historiography of epidemics eventually emerged. By the end of the 20th century, they included many physician-enthusiasts. Since the 1970s, influenced by many factors, more and more professional historians, for whom the history of epidemics is an integral part of the history of society. The last quarter-century has also seen rapid growth in popular historiography of epidemics, made possible by the activation of various humanities researchers and journalists trying to make the history of epidemics more lively and emotional. A great influence on the spread of new approaches to the study of the history of epidemics is now being exerted by the media, focusing public attention on the new threats to human civilization in the form of modern epidemics.

The Impact of Severe Air Pollution in January 2013 in Beijing on Sustained Elevation of Public Environmental Concern

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Schwabe
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Media Reporting ◽  
Timeline Analysis ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Harmful and sudden events trigger intense media coverage which in turn can elevate public interest in a problem within an instant. A period of heavy air pollution in Beijing in January 2013 may have been such a case. This sudden and intense period of air pollution featured historically high levels of fine particulate concentrations and was assumed by observers to be a trigger for shifting public perception and increased pressure for policy adjustment. This study examines whether this period of severe air pollution indeed triggered increased public scrutiny, following which the influential factors behind this development are outlined. In this context, a focus is given to the interplay of air quality, media reporting and public discussion in shaping sustained public interest. Based on a timeline analysis and survey data, it is argued that the combination of historically high air pollution with intense media reporting did lead to higher public attention to the topic.

scholarly journals Correction: Assessing Public Interest Based on Wikipedia’s Most Visited Medical Articles During the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak: Search Trends Analysis

10.2196/29598 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. e29598
Author(s):  
Jędrzej Chrzanowski ◽  
Julia Sołek ◽  
Wojciech Fendler ◽  
Dariusz Jemielniak
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Trends Analysis ◽  
Medical Articles

scholarly journals Integrating digital and field surveillance as complementary efforts to manage epidemic diseases of livestock: African swine fever as a case study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0252972
Author(s):  
Michele Tizzani ◽  
Violeta Muñoz-Gómez ◽  
Marco De Nardi ◽  
Daniela Paolotti ◽  
Olga Muñoz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Local Level ◽  
African Swine Fever ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Animal Diseases ◽  
Seeking Behavior

SARS-CoV-2 has clearly shown that efficient management of infectious diseases requires a top-down approach which must be complemented with a bottom-up response to be effective. Here we investigate a novel approach to surveillance for transboundary animal diseases using African Swine (ASF) fever as a model. We collected data both at a population level and at the local level on information-seeking behavior respectively through digital data and targeted questionnaire-based surveys to relevant stakeholders such as pig farmers and veterinary authorities. Our study shows how information-seeking behavior and resulting public attention during an epidemic, can be identified through novel data streams from digital platforms such as Wikipedia. Leveraging attention in a critical moment can be key to providing the correct information at the right moment, especially to an interested cohort of people. We also bring evidence on how field surveys aimed at local workers and veterinary authorities remain a crucial tool to assess more in-depth preparedness and awareness among front-line actors. We conclude that these two tools should be used in combination to maximize the outcome of surveillance and prevention activities for selected transboundary animal diseases such as ASF.

scholarly journals Truth Distancing? Whistleblowing as Remedy to Censorship during COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-381
Author(s):  
Vigjilenca ABAZI
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Timely Manner ◽  
The Public ◽  
Reporting Systems ◽  
The World ◽  
Other Information ◽  
The Usa ◽  
And Control ◽  
Do So

In the COVID-19 pandemic, whistleblowers have become the essential watchdogs disrupting suppression and control of information. Many governments have intentionally not disclosed information or failed to do so in a timely manner, misled the public or even promoted false beliefs. Fierce public interest defenders are pushing back against this censorship. Dr Fen and Dr Wenliang were the first whistleblowers in China to report that a new pandemic was possibly underway, and ever since, numerous other whistleblowers around the world have been reporting on the spread of the virus, the lack of medical equipment and other information of public interest. This paper maps the relevant whistleblowing cases in China, the USA and Europe and shows that many whistleblowers are initially censored and face disciplinary measures or even dismissals. At the same time, whistleblowing during the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn public attention to the shortcomings of institutional reporting systems and a wider appreciation of whistleblowers as uniquely placed to expose risk at early stages. Ultimately, whistleblowing as a means of transparency is not only becoming ever less controversial, but during COVID-19 it has become the “remedy” to censorship.

The policy battle over information and digital policy regulation: a canadian perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Geist
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Important Change ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
The Public ◽  
Policy Development Process ◽  
Canadian Perspective ◽  
Consumer Perspectives ◽  
The Impact

AbstractMany countries find their information and digital policies still dominated by traditional stakeholders, particularly the content industry, major telecom companies, and marketing groups, yet Canada has experienced a notable shift in perspective with a strong and influential public interest voice. This shift toward public interest and participation in the development of Canadian information and digital policies has led to legislation, regulation, and policy outcomes that once seemed highly unlikely. This Article seeks to better understand the changing role of the public in Canadian information and digital policymaking by framing the developments as an ongoing policy development process featuring a series of closely linked changes and responses. The emergence of public participation on information and digital policy issues occurred across a spectrum of issues, yet the traits were strikingly similar: grassroots efforts reliant on social media and the Internet to capture media and public attention and focus it on consumer perspectives, minimal interest from government and regulators; and initial dismissal giving way to hostility from incumbent stakeholders. The Article identifies some of the reasons behind the shift, including the growing importance of information and digital policies, the impact of digital advocacy tools, and the shifting policy pyramid in which users have now largely leapfrogged corporate interests as policy influencers. While the shift does not mean the public interest wins on every issue, it does suggest an important change in influence with long-term ramifications for the development of information and digital policy in Canada that others may seek to emulate.

scholarly journals Data-driven modeling reveals the Western dominance of global public interest in earthquakes

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonghun Kam ◽  
Jihun Park ◽  
Wanyun Shao ◽  
Junho Song ◽  
Jinhee Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Data Driven Modeling ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

AbstractCatastrophic earthquakes stimulate information-seeking behaviors beyond the affected geographical boundaries; however, our understanding of the dynamics of global public interest in earthquakes remains limited. Herein, we harness Big Data to examine the dynamic patterns of global public interest, concerning 17 significant worldwide earthquakes over 2004–2019. We find that the global community shows a higher level of interest when an earthquake occurs in developed countries than in developing countries; however, they lose their interest in the former more rapidly than the latter. Regardless of the affected nation, there is a one- to two-week “golden” time window when attention can be leveraged for fundraising and humanitarian aid. Our findings suggest that European citizens who are highly interested in earthquakes emerge as a potential key community to achieve great inclusiveness in policy interventions to solicit international aid. The findings of this study hint at how Big Data can be utilized to identify “time windows of opportunities” for international humanitarian organizations to efficiently raise donations, charities, and aid resources around the world.

scholarly journals Seasonality Patterns of Internet Searches on Mental Health: Exploratory Infodemiology Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noam Soreni ◽  
Duncan H Cameron ◽  
David L Streiner ◽  
Karen Rowa ◽  
Randi E McCabe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Internet Searches

BACKGROUND The study of seasonal patterns of public interest in psychiatric disorders has important theoretical and practical implications for service planning and delivery. The recent explosion of internet searches suggests that mining search databases yields unique information on public interest in mental health disorders, which is a significantly more affordable approach than population health studies. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate seasonal patterns of internet mental health queries in Ontario, Canada. METHODS Weekly data on health queries in Ontario from Google Trends were downloaded for a 5-year period (2012-2017) for the terms “schizophrenia,” “autism,” “bipolar,” “depression,” “anxiety,” “OCD” (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and “suicide.” Control terms were overall search results for the terms “health” and “how.” Time-series analyses using a continuous wavelet transform were performed to isolate seasonal components in the search volume for each term. RESULTS All mental health queries showed significant seasonal patterns with peak periodicity occurring over the winter months and troughs occurring during summer, except for “suicide.” The comparison term “health” also exhibited seasonal periodicity, while the term “how” did not, indicating that general information seeking may not follow a seasonal trend in the way that mental health information seeking does. CONCLUSIONS Seasonal patterns of internet search volume in a wide range of mental health terms were observed, with the exception of “suicide.” Our study demonstrates that monitoring internet search trends is an affordable, instantaneous, and naturalistic method to sample public interest in large populations and inform health policy planners.

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