Universal Information Services

How do mask mandates impact communities?

Analysis Period: July 20-September 1, 2020

Media: User Generated Media, Social Network Content

Report PDF: Society In Social Media – Mask Mandate

The Universal Information Services Media Monitoring and Media Measurement teams present the next installation in our Society in Social Media series. Our team is excited to demonstrate our capabilities in this report and beyond by providing ongoing analysis of societal topics and trends in social media.

As mask mandates, imposed by state or local authorities, became commonplace in major cities in July and early August, the city of Omaha had yet to impose similar regulations. By early August, of the 100 largest cities in the country, Omaha (#40) was the only major city to not have a mask mandate.

Analysis of Social Media Emotion

This report analyzes two months of social media conversation surrounding the above topic. A timeline of notable events is below for reference.

Timeline of Events:

• JULY 20 – Lincoln, NE Mayor, Leirion Gaylor Baird, announces a mandatory mask mandate.
• JULY 28 – The Douglas County (Omaha) Board of Health votes unanimously, 5-0, supporting County Health Director, Dr. Adi Pour, exercising her power to implement a mask mandate.
• JULY 31 – Douglas County Health Director, Dr. Adi Pour, acknowledges “legal disagreements” between the city and the attorney general’s office. Dr. Pour cites these disagreements as she chooses not to implement a mandatory mask mandate saying, ““I did consider a court challenge…But, my focus needs to be on public health and not be caught up in litigation.”
• AUGUST 4 – The Associated Press reports the Nebraska Governor, Pete Ricketts, planned to sue if Dr. Adi Pour implemented a mask mandate. In a news conference Ricketts stated, “If she moved forward, we would challenge that in court.”
• AUGUST 6 – Details of the Omaha City Council’s proposed emergency ordinance to mandate mask wearing are made public. Of these details, and the potential mandate, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said “One way or another, we’re going to get it done.”
• AUGUST 11 – After a four-hour hearing with public testimony, the Omaha City Council votes unanimously (7-0) to support a mask mandate, effective immediately, and set to expire September 15^th.
• SEPTEMBER 1 – The Omaha City Council votes 5-2 to extend the mask mandate through Oct 20

Society in Social Media utilizes user-generated media to examine trends, identify key voices, and provide some context to the larger societal conversations that are happening on social media. Much like a pebble thrown into a still pond, a single social media post is just the beginning of a story. Through this analysis, we can identify the rocks, measure the ripples they cause, and provide context from which to understand it all.

Methodology: A comprehensive analysis of of social media posts, engagements, and connectedness were evaluated to showcase the listening and measurement capabilities of Universal Information Services. Universal Information Services makes no claims to any errors generated through omission of posts or other associated data. All data represented is for illustrative purposes.