Introduction

Governmental and official institutional communication is a trusted source of information utilized by the public for crises such as Covid-19. Research shows this is Canadians’ most trusted source of information about the pandemic and measures the government and public health officials are taking and contributes to increased compliance with public health measures. But it can also contribute to negative attitudes and behaviours including vaccine hesitancy when mistrust in institutional messaging is inherent. The use of social media as a significant source of information is an epistemological and historical shift in crisis communication, which can be used effectively to disseminate institutional messaging but can also substantially contribute to behaviours such as vaccine hesitancy and attitudes of mistrust. The literature reviewed examines government messaging from a variety of perspectives encompassing sociological, psychological, and anthropological studies of how such messaging is relayed and received, while other source materials provide context with historical response to a public health crisis in Canada, and the current trends and attitudes being expressed on social media platforms.