April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: Welcome, but Intense: An Investigation into Memorable Messages about COVID-19
Covid19 has been one of the most talked-about health threats in recent memory. The public is constantly consuming messages from public health outlets, government officials, mass media, friends, family, and strangers on the internet. Of the many messages – both good and bad – to which people are exposed, which ones are actually remembered? This study reports results of 319 people who described the Covid19 message they found most memorable. The study was conducted via Amazon’s mTurk. Participants represented a cross-section of political beliefs and demographics. Participants reported that the most memorable messages concerned the virus itself, masks or mask mandates, the dangers of the disease, and social distancing. It should be noted that the data was collected before vaccines were widely available to the public. The majority (approximately 80%) of the messages came from TV news or the internet (including approximately one third of the reported messages which were encountered on social media). Participants reported memorable messages coming primarily from organizations or from men. Far fewer participants remembered messages from women. Overall, participants remembered relatively welcome messages. Memorable messages came from well-liked or trusted sources and were messages that the participant broadly agreed with (either because they already agreed or because the message changed their mind). Certain participants were more likely to report messages that they found emotionally intense. Participants who consumed more hours of television news and social media were more likely to describe a message that prompted a strong emotional reaction. TV news viewers were especially likely to describe messages that prompted feelings of hatred, shame, and guilt. The participant’s politics and gender had a similar effect, with conservatives and men remembering messages that prompted greater emotional reactions than moderates, liberals, or women. The results of this study suggest that participants are unlikely to be engaging in significant counter-arguing or reactance. They also highlight the importance of choosing the best possible source for a message and of paying particular attention to the messages being disseminated through social media (particularly Facebook and Twitter). Although people seemed to remember broadly similar messages on just a few topics, there will never be as much “official” oversight for the messages people are encountering online – the very messages which they are most likely to remember. Additionally, further investigation into the effects of media use, politics, and gender on the memorability of emotion-laden messaging is merited. Based on the results of this investigation, a mix of emotional and restrained messages would be advised.