Multimodal Crisis Messaging in Times of Pandemic: Comparing Instagram Posts Published by Governments and Public Health Institutions in Germany, Türkiye, the UK, and the USA

Abstract

Governments and health institutions have extensively used various media channels to disseminate preventive information and instructional messages to citizens during public health crises. This study focuses on crisis messages on Instagram, which predominantly adopts textual-visual modes of communication. Drawing on the concept of multimodality, a framework was suggested for comprehending multimodal crisis messages: the integration of textual and visual elements and the influence of contextual factors. A quantitative content analysis examined 2,140 Instagram posts (Germany N = 417, Türkiye N = 388, United Kingdom N = 684, United States N = 651) published by governments and health institutions between 2020 and 2021. Hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC) unveiled three clusters of multimodal crisis messages: person-oriented protective pattern (United Kingdom and United States), state-oriented instructional pattern (Germany and partly United States), and politicizing crisis pattern (Türkiye). The findings contribute to a better understanding of how risk cultures and political systems shaped textual-visual narratives during a global health crisis.