UNICEF ESARO: COVID-19 and its impacts – Social listening report on online conversations in Eastern and Southern Africa, May 2021

OVERVIEW

This monthly report provides key highlights of the digital conversations on COVID-19 and its impacts in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The report builds on different categories of online signals including search trends, social media content (posts, comments) and digital news articles. Social media and digital news platforms monitored include digital news outlets, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Twitter and digital news are mainly monitored using the social listening tool Talkwalker. Facebook and Instagram are mainly monitored using the platform Crowdtangle. WhatsApp is also monitored through third-party reports. Data collected are analyzed to identify rumours, questions or concerns related to COVID-19 and are analyzed for volume, engagements generated, tone of conversation and user reactions, as well as themes. For Talkwalker, sentiment analysis is based on deep learning algorithms and advanced pattern recognition embedded in the tool. For Facebook, user reactions represent engagements to a post through the use of emotion emojis. Search trends refer to user search interest on Google and YouTube that is related to COVID-19.
These are monitored using Google Trends.

The report includes key highlights and recommendations; a section covering COVID-19 online conversation; a section on immunization-related conversation (including COVID19 vaccines); a section on sexual and reproductive health, HIV and gender-based violence in times of COVID-19; a section on education in times of COVID-19.

Source: UN Children’s Fund