In the past year, more than 100,000 link posts with a corona connection have been shared from Swedish pages on Facebook.
Many of those who have gone viral have common denominators.
- It is texts that arouse emotions, it can be positive news, but also negative and dramatic news.
Texts that arouse commitment and identification in particular usually work well, says Andreas Widholm, associate professor of journalism, who worked on the study Journalism in the coronan's time.
Gunpowder and gunpowder men
The corona situation does not allow for much joy, but a number of viral items during the year, especially during the beginning of the pandemic, concerned so-called "gunpowder women" and "gunpowder men", elderly people around the centenary mark who survived covid-19.
But the topic, with several posts, that engaged the most interaction was Adam Alsing's obituary.
- That news is sad, arouses emotions, it is negative, but it also creates an opportunity for identification and grief and commitment, says Andreas Widholm.
Difference between reading and sharing
The Facebook flow is shaped by what arouses the most engagement, such as in shares, likes and comments.
However, there is a difference between how we read and engage in news on social media.
- People have a tendency to read and click on negative news, but they much prefer to share positive texts.
Research shows that it is because sharing is a social behavior that is connected with showing who you are to people in your network, says Andreas Widholm.
What image do you get of the corona pandemic if you only consume news through Facebook instead of a news site?
- You had a completely different picture.
You get to see the texts that Facebook primarily values in these systems.
You had a picture of the texts that engage many.