Parameters of the Ebola-related news media contagion model of Eq 2 or Eq 3 (as appropriate to the sample), fit to the Ebola-related Google searches and tweets.

The parameter f is the initial fraction of the population susceptible to news media induced Ebola interest or panic (as manifested by the particular Ebola-related Internet searches or tweets in our samples). The parameter β is the transmission rate, and 1/γ is the average time, in days between an individual viewing an Ebola-related news video, and performing an Ebola-related Google search or tweet. The average number of particular Internet searches or tweets in our samples inspired by a single news video in the initial susceptible population is fβ. The numbers in the square brackets represent the 95% confidence intervals.Parameters of the Ebola-related news media contagion model of Eq 2 or Eq 3 (as appropriate to the sample), fit to the Ebola-related Google searches and tweets.