The Impact of Institutional Communication: a proposal analysis of the digital communication of the Virtual Campus of Public Health of PAHO
Media studies, VCPH, PAHO, Twitter, Facebook, Public Health
This study analyzes the institutional communication actions of the Virtual Campus of Public Health directed towards social media, specifically Twitter and Facebook, to comprehend the capacity of these actions in generating visibility and engagement among their target audiences: healthcare managers, professionals and students. Chosen for being the oldest international public health organization in the world, it is an educational platform that covers the entire Americas with a focus on providing quality and accessible training for healthcare professionals and students. The proliferation of information about the COVID-19 pandemic in the media environment directly impacted the population and how they engage with these contemporary mediations, as the platform's user base has doubled since 2020 and has been steadily growing ever since, alongside technology-mediated education (Conte; Martini, 2015). This research aims to demonstrate that institutional communication plays a fundamental role in the social media presence of major organizations. In this regard, we will explore the institutional communication of the VCPH on Twitter and Facebook and discuss it within the context of communication strategies used to enhance the platform's visibility, drawing upon key studies on mediatization such as Almeida (2021), Alencar and Hjavard (2022), Ferreira (2021), and Véron (2004). Seeking to expand the studies on institutional communication of major organizations through social media, adopting a mediatization perspective.