Coronavirus and the power of social media

This week i’ve decided to write about something that is seriously affecting all of us and is quite relevant, that is corona virus and how social media has helped and affected us during the outbreak.

Firstly, some background on both social media and corona virus:

Social media is essentially the integration of media, information and social communication/ interaction. It enables us to create and consume content from anywhere in the world at any time, making it easier for information to spread around the population at a rapid pace. Initially, social media was designed for social interactions, however over time its shifted its focus towards monetary gain

Below I’ve created a list of the pros and cons of social media:

• It has given people the opportunity for crowdfunding/ crowdsourcing, whereby people may post about a monetary goal for a specific cause, issue or even an idea.

• Connecting people across the world, with a total population of 7.549 billion people in the world and 3.196 billion of those people all using social media, it enables us to instantly connect with anyone at any time

• Businesses are able to build brand awareness and sell their products/ services online

• It also enables businesses to find talent/ employees all across the globe rather than just locally with websites like linkdin

Cons of social media:

• once something is posted online it cannot be deleted entirely

• Advertising practices online can feel like an invasion of privacy for users (e.g Facebook ads becoming more and more relevant to suit consumers needs in the hope of sales and increased revenue)

• Heavy social media users tend to be less productive and work and school life and are at a greater risk of mental illness

• Social media can apps can lead to stalking and murder through meet ups and users giving away too much information on their life and location

• Not all information shared online is true and can lead to hysteria and rumours

The corona virus is an international pandemic that was developed in December 2019 when numerous people from Chinas Northern Hubei province developed a mysterious pneumonia- like illness.

By 2020 the outbreak had spread to multiple countries, as it continued to spread at a rapid rate, the demand for information on the virus rose more and more. Thus, the world turned to social media to find information. While this has been a useful tool for the government and businesses to keep the world up to date with information on how to stay safe and for epidemiologists to use data and trends to track the levels of peoples reactions and hysteria to the outbreak, it has also created a breeding ground for rumours that have in turn resulted in greater levels of panic. WHO director general has stated that ‘We’re not just fighting a pandemic, we’re also fighting an infodemic’.

The Corona virus is not the first virus to spread in the age of social media, with the Ebola epidemic, Zika outbreak and Swine flu also creating mass conversations online. However, during these times the health organisations were not as prepared to communicate and educate with risk information online. So the world was looking to the internet for information and direction, but found that it was flooded with unreliable information.

Recently we have made huge progress in the way that social media is used to help us through this pandemic and times of crisis.

Below are some ways that social media has helped us through the corona virus pandemic:

• online stores generating revenue through consumers panic buying and stocking up on supplies, with less and less people wanting to venture outside of their house and manually visit stores t purchase supplies, online traders have made it easier and convenient for customers to purchase items without physical contact. Moreover, shelves in major supermarkets have been left empty due to this panic purchasing, so with the convenience of online shopping, consumers are able to browse the web for the items they need.

• It has created a modern form of communication and a platform for victims and those in quarantine to communicate with the outside world and find information. With the increasing interest in first-hand information, corona virus Vlogs have become popular online.

• Support systems and infrastructure have been developed to help those in need, with many crowdfunding pages set up to help raise money to struggling hospitals and victims. Major companies like Western Union have also used their platform and voice to encourage the public to donate. It has also given scientists a platform to collaborate and share ideas and possible solutions, as well as connecting people around the world and providing them with a communal platform for support.

• Large brands like Forbes are calling for tech savvy millennials to use their online presence to spread important messages and educate the public. Rather than posting cute photos from holidays or memes, Forbes contributor John Brandon has encouraged us millennials to use our platform for greater purpose: ‘I’m talking about long captions encouraging your followers to stay home and why that’s important. I’m talking about sharing links so that all of your followers won’t miss the facts. They might not check CNN, but perhaps they will see your tweet.’ (Brandon, 2020)

While social media during this time has been a dangerous tool for widespread rumours and manifestation of hysteria, it has also been a useful tool for both the government and the community to come together and work as one to overcome this pandemic. My question to you is- How have you used your online platform to help educate others? After reading this do you feel more inclined to help spread valuable information that will help during this time? Or- Is there an outrageous rumour regarding a pandemic that you have seen online before? How did this make you feel?