Understanding user responses to the COVID-19 pandemic on Twitter from a terror management theory perspective: Cultural differences among the US, UK and India
People's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are examined from a terror management theory perspective.
•
Twitter data are analyzed using topic modeling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm.
•
A total of seven themes are identified reflecting proximal and distal defenses.
•
Cultural differences in defenses are found across the US, UK, and India.
Abstract
This study uses a new approach to understand people's varied responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Heightened media coverage and surging death tolls undoubtedly increase individuals' death-related thoughts. Thus, this study draws on terror management theory to analyze the general public's reactions during which mortality is salient. Twitter data were collected from three countries—the US, the UK, and India. Topic modeling analysis using Latent Dirichlet Allocation identified a total of seven themes reflecting two types of defenses: proximal defenses and distal defenses. Proximal defenses included calls for behavioral changes in response to COVID-19. Distal defenses included searching for meaning, political polarization and government incompetence, racial division, and sharing up-to-date information. During a prolonged crisis, anxiety-buffering systems can be undermined and lead to either maladaptive defenses (i.e., psychological distress) or new forms of defenses (i.e., adjusting to the new normal). The analysis highlights cultural differences in defenses across the three countries. Theoretical and practical implications for public health practitioners and social media platform managers are then discussed.