Previously submitted to: JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (no longer under consideration since Sep 08, 2021)
Date Submitted: Sep 3, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Sep 3, 2021 - Sep 8, 2021
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Analyzing YouTube data to characterize audience engagement with an online global health entertainment series
ABSTRACT
Background:
Use of social media is expanding the reach and delivery of health-related programs and content among geographically diverse audiences. Concurrently, social media extends our capabilities to measure program impact and audience engagement. This study utilizes social media data from YouTube to describe audience engagement with Season 2 of C’est La Vie! (CLV), a transmedia television series developed and produced in West Africa that focuses on health and human rights that broadcasts on the digital platform of YouTube.
Objective:
We sought to characterize the content of YouTube comments for CLV; to examine the relationship between audience engagement and story components (i.e., characters); and to describe how storyline engaged comments differ across episodes.
Methods:
We collected all public YouTube comments (n=5,280) from CLV Season 2 episodes in February 2020, approximately three months after the season finale. We analyzed YouTube metadata, including the number of episode views, comments, and likes. We randomly sampled half of the comments (n=2,599) – proportionately to the number of comments per episode – and qualitatively analyzed viewer comments within domains of health topics, characters mentioned, and storyline engagement.
Results:
The 36-episode second season of C’est La Vie! averaged over 103,000 views, 150 comments, and more than 1,400 likes per episode. More than 25% of comments talked about a character. Nearly one in five comments showed engagement with the storyline or plot points, while only a small percentage directly discussed a health topic. Certain characters (e.g., the show’s villain “Korsa”) were discussed more often in comments; however, other characters (e.g., the show’s heroines) were discussed less frequently but were more likely to be associated with storyline-engaged comments.
Conclusions:
Public online data can provide important insights regarding audience engagement and elements of the series that influence program impact. While online data are not necessarily representative of the larger population, our findings demonstrate potential relationships between program exposure and behavior change (i.e., audiences engaging with the storyline and characters). Our findings support the application of theoretical constructs to operationalize public, online data, especially when utilized for global health program monitoring and evaluation.
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