Discourse about higher education on Twitter in early phases of COVID-19: A crisis management social network analysis

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic brought changes and efforts for adaption to the new environment in every industry, including higher education. The present study, drawing on crisis management theory as a framework, aimed to understand information and communication sharing behaviors of the higher education community during the pandemic by exploring patterns and discourse on social media. Such analysis provides insight into how information is gained, shared, and used. Tweets including the hashtag #highered were retrieved at five time points in March and August 2020—M1 (retrieved on March 3), M2 (March 17), A1 (August 4), A2 (August 11), and A3 (August 18). Using a social network analysis tool, NodeXL, the collected tweets were analyzed by social network structure, topic, and influencer. Results showed that #highered was used widely in the early stages of the pandemic. The relevant conversation rapidly evolved, as did the prominent influencers. Over time, the conversation centered on the pandemic, the implications of the sudden shift to online learning, and then the subsequent effect on universities, students, faculty, and staff. A crisis preparation phase continued through August 2020, but drivers of information transitioned from well-known news outlets prior to the pandemic to individuals directly experiencing the pandemic. Future research should analyze the validity of information shared by individuals during key decision points of the pandemic and whether higher education is susceptible to the growing spread of disinformation through social media when formulating policy.