Twitter has long provided a short, sharp take on the community’s fears, anxieties and experiences.
Twitter has long provided a short, sharp take on the community’s fears, anxieties and experiences. Now, data scientists have analysed 94 million tweets from the first months of the pandemic to track COVID-19’s effect on mental health in NSW.
The research team used machine learning to develop a model able to capture data indicating depression, stress, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among users of the social media platform. The aim was to tap into popular technology to help public health experts identify changes in community levels of depression over time.
The World Health Organisation highlighted early in 2020 that the pandemic would likely have a negative impact on mental health, with the disease affecting many facets of life including work, health and relationships.
Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the University of Essex, UK, developed their novel classification model to tease out the psychological impact of COVID-19 outbreaks and government policies such as lockdowns.
Read more at University of Technology Sydney
Image: Every tweet signals a user's state of mind and emotional wellbeing at that moment. (Credit: Edar from Pixabay (cc))
