Cardiff University researchers will analyze public perceptions of the horsemeat scandal by studying social media data from popular portals such as Twitter.
The University’s Collaborative Online Social Media Observatory (COSMOS) has been awarded an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant under their Global Food Security Program; a joint initiative with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), according to a university press release.
“COSMOS provides a unique opportunity to study the story arc of crises in unprecedented detail. We have collected data from public Twitter accounts since 2012 and our database of more than three billion tweets will allow us to trace the unfolding of the horse meat scandal; pinpointing moments of escalation, de-escalation and duration,” said Dr Pete Burnap, expert in Risk in Distributed and Collaborative Online Networks.
“This study will enhance understanding of the potential of social media analysis to both access public perceptions and how these evolve and to establish how social media analysis can be used in risk governance and engagement with the public about risks more generally” he added.
Dr Luke Sloan from the Cardiff School of Social Sciences, said: “We are delighted to be working on this trail-blazing project funded under the Understanding the Challenges of the UK Food System call. The research will generate new empirical findings on public perceptions of UK food supply chains, what people’s concerns are, what influences these and how they may be best managed in the future.”