Social networks and food crises: the case of red meat and its carcinogenic effects according to WHO

Abstract

The impact of comments on social networks in relation to food crises is an object of recent study, whose effects must be followed. This research analyzes the case of red meat and its presumed carcinogenic effects with the objective of determining the follow-up on Facebook and Twitter and the nature of the comments (positive, neutral or negative). The International Agency for Cancer Research (WHO dependent) submitted on 26 October 2015 a report evaluating the carcinogenicity of meat consumption by including it in group 2A. This news was present in social networks, mainly on Facebook and Twitter, the most used in Spain at that time. Therefore, the qualitative methodology of sentiment analysis in these social networks and the publications related to the news is used. Publications were searched from October 26 to November 26, 2015 and specific hashtags ("red meat" and "WHO") were used to focus the search. The publications were classified as positive, neutral or negative. The reactions of the other users in each publication were also evaluated by means of a quantitative statistical analysis. We analyzed 391 publications on Twitter and 33 on Facebook. In the first social network, publications were found throughout the time frame; on Facebook, only half the time. 57.6% of Facebook publications have a neutral intentionality, 27.3% negative and 15.1% positive. On Twitter, 47.6% are neutral, 39.6% negative and 12.8% positive. The follow-up of other users to the publications studied was not statistically significant. User appreciation changes over time, going from negative and neutral to neutral and positive comments until only objective information is left. There is also a lack of communication between the official entities and the users of these networks.

Keywords

• Social networking
• sentiment analysis
• communication
• WHO
• red meat.