Differences in User Information Behavior between Official Media and Private Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Weibo is a widely used social media platform showing all kinds of information related to the COVID-19 pandemic promptly in China. Official media and private media are two typical types of media on Weibo. Due to the different characteristics of these two media types, in the context of public health emergencies, it is worth exploring whether there are differences in the users' interactive behavior with information from these two types of media. This is of great significance to the integration and development of these two types of media.This study obtained data on the interaction behaviors of Weibo users with posts published by the two media types at various stages of the pandemic. Statistical analyses have confirmed significant differences in interaction behavior data between users and these two media types. In future research, based on the findings of this study, we will investigate the reasons behind these differences to provide relevant guidelines and suggestions for the release of different media in public health emergencies by conducting a deep dive analysis of user reviews.