TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of the hikikomori phenomenon – an international infodemiology study of Twitter data in Portuguese
AU - Correia Lopes, Francisca
AU - Pinto da Costa, Mariana
AU - Fernandez-Lazaro, Cesar I.
AU - Lara-Abelenda, Francisco J.
AU - Pereira-Sanchez, Victor
AU - Teo, Alan R.
AU - Alvarez-Mon, Miguel Angel
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Background: Hikikomori refers to the extreme isolation of individuals in their own homes, lasting at least six months. In recent years social isolation has become an important clinical, social, and public health problem, with increased awareness of hikikomori around the globe. Portuguese is one of the six most spoken languages in the world, but no studies have analysed the content regarding this phenomenon expressed in Portuguese. Objective: To explore the hikikomori phenomenon on Twitter in Portuguese, utilising a mixed-methods approach encompassing content analysis, emotional analysis, and correlation analysis. Methods: A mixed methods analysis of all publicly available tweets in the Portuguese language using a specific keyword (hikikomori) between 1st January 2008 and 19th October 2022. The content analysis involved categorising tweets based on tone, content, and user types, while correlation analysis was used to investigate user engagement and geographical distribution. Statistical analysis and artificial intelligence were employed to classify and interpret the tweet data. Results: Among the total of 13,915 tweets generated, in terms of tone 10,731 were classified as “negative”, and 3184 as “positive”. Regarding content, “curiosities” was the most posted, as well as the most retweeted and liked topic. Worldwide, most of the hikikomori related tweets in Portuguese were posted in Europe, while “individuals with hikikomori” were the users most active posting. Regarding emotion analysis, the majority of tweets were “neutral”. Conclusions: These findings show the global prevalence of the discourse on hikikomori phenomenon among Portuguese speakers. It also indicates an increase in the number of tweets on this topic in certain continents over the years. These findings can contribute to developing specific interventions, support networks, and awareness-raising campaigns for affected individuals.
AB - Background: Hikikomori refers to the extreme isolation of individuals in their own homes, lasting at least six months. In recent years social isolation has become an important clinical, social, and public health problem, with increased awareness of hikikomori around the globe. Portuguese is one of the six most spoken languages in the world, but no studies have analysed the content regarding this phenomenon expressed in Portuguese. Objective: To explore the hikikomori phenomenon on Twitter in Portuguese, utilising a mixed-methods approach encompassing content analysis, emotional analysis, and correlation analysis. Methods: A mixed methods analysis of all publicly available tweets in the Portuguese language using a specific keyword (hikikomori) between 1st January 2008 and 19th October 2022. The content analysis involved categorising tweets based on tone, content, and user types, while correlation analysis was used to investigate user engagement and geographical distribution. Statistical analysis and artificial intelligence were employed to classify and interpret the tweet data. Results: Among the total of 13,915 tweets generated, in terms of tone 10,731 were classified as “negative”, and 3184 as “positive”. Regarding content, “curiosities” was the most posted, as well as the most retweeted and liked topic. Worldwide, most of the hikikomori related tweets in Portuguese were posted in Europe, while “individuals with hikikomori” were the users most active posting. Regarding emotion analysis, the majority of tweets were “neutral”. Conclusions: These findings show the global prevalence of the discourse on hikikomori phenomenon among Portuguese speakers. It also indicates an increase in the number of tweets on this topic in certain continents over the years. These findings can contribute to developing specific interventions, support networks, and awareness-raising campaigns for affected individuals.
KW - Hikikomori
KW - Internet
KW - Internet addiction
KW - Loneliness
KW - Mental health
KW - Social isolation
KW - Social media
KW - Social withdrawal
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U2 - 10.1186/s12889-023-17617-0
DO - 10.1186/s12889-023-17617-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 38373925
AN - SCOPUS:85185491144
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 24
JO - BMC public health
JF - BMC public health
IS - 1
M1 - 518
ER -