Social Network and Semantic Analysis of Roe v. Wade’s Reversal on Twitter

Abstract

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court released its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which officially repealed Roe v. Wade and its subsequent rulings. Employing social network analysis and semantic analysis methods, the current project reviews the public reaction among Twitter users shared from the May 2 draft leak to the June 24 official repeal, using a series of Twitter hashtags related to Roe v. Wade. The project identified the main influencers within the network, namely, journalist/news organizations, Internet celebrities, activists/activist groups, professional/non-profit organizations, and politicians/political organizations through social network analysis. Through semantic analysis, the authors found prominent themes such as legal concerns, discourse on reproductive rights, distrusting of Supreme Court’s authority, and political nepotism. The results offer policy implications and communication message strategies to healthcare providers and policymakers. The authors believe that the polarizing nature of Roe v. Wade-related issues will be a crucial factor in shaping voters’ decisions during the upcoming 2024 presidential election.