Nurse-Hero Discussion on Twitter: A Social Network Analysis and Qualitative Content Analysis
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses, and other healthcare workers were recognized and celebrated as heroes by the public. With the increase of the hero labelling of nurses and other healthcare workers across various media platforms, critical interpretation of the label was voiced by individuals working in essential services, including nursing. This study utilized social network analysis and the qualitative content analysis framework by Graneheim and Lundman (2004) to explore how the nurse-hero discourse was amplified and propagated through the social media platform, Twitter. The findings of this study revealed that some Twitter users utilized the hero-messages to relay the urgency of supporting healthcare workers including nurses during the pandemic. It was also found that key Twitter users including prominent political figures in Ontario, Canada utilized the hero-messages to leverage or advance elements of their own agendas.