Exploring the conversation around complex public health issues using social media, natural language processing and social network analysis: a focus on food security

This PhD research explores how social media can help us understand complex public health issues, focusing on food security in Australia. By analysing over 38,000 tweets using data science tools like natural language processing, it uncovers public sentiment, key themes, and influential voices. The thesis shows that social media offers valuable, real-time insights that traditional methods may miss. However, it also highlights limitations in data science tools, especially in interpreting emotion and sarcasm, and calls for improvements to enhance accuracy. These findings can guide future use of social media and data science to inform public health policy and practice.