MIL - HUMSS 12 A
Social media: A fundamental necessity in our society throughout the pandemic.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused a global health crisis that has had an extreme impact on the way we perceive our world and our daily lives. Mass media is known as a powerful force shaping how we experience the world and ourselves. With social media playing such an essential role in our daily lives, the way we communicate has changed dramatically. Some examples of new media can be coming from our social media, news articles, podcast, or even blogs. We would fixate on the role of social media in our everyday lives, for it is the most commonly used by people, especially for the youths.
Social Media is a place where anyone can get a ton of information at just a press of a button. In the time of Covid-19, finding valuable information about this is crucial. It helps us become knowledgeable and keeps us updated in keeping track of the damages and lives taken by Covid-19. Despite being a good source of information, social media can also be chock-full misleading and misinforming articles. The deadly disease is a threat to people, but it can also the fake news to spread online.
A study made by WHO, Wunderman Thompson, the University of Melbourne and Pollfish, determined how teens and young adults interact with social media posts. Their finding showed 43% of the social media users would share or post about Covid-19 or “scientific content” but opts to share what is trendy or what interests them. The majority of them are very much aware of the severity of the virus and are afraid of it. The World Health Organization is trying to encourage younger generations to use their social media wisely and help keep people informed about the virus. These will help the youths to protect themselves, the people they love, and the people who can see their posts to avoid exposure to false pieces of information. Social media users should be careful and responsible for posting misleading information to prevent fake news, fear, panic, and skepticism online.
At the end of the day, we cannot deny how social media plays an integral role in our every day lives especially with how we communicate. With the outbreak of Covid-19, many countries have depended on dozens of social media platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and more for them to stay connected to their work, education, friends and families. Social media has also utilized its purpose in terms of healthcare during the pandemic, such as apps that are used for contract tracing. It opened a new dimension for healthcare to provide a common medium for patients, professionals, and of course the public to help them communicate regarding health related issues. Without a doubt, social media has certainly changed our lives, mainly helping us improve our way of communicating for the better.
SOURCES:
https://www.hec.edu/en/knowledge/instants/what-role-social-media-during-covid-19-crisis-0
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1751143720966280
https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/13638/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-the-impact-and-role-of-mass-media-during-the-pandemic
https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/social-media-covid-19-a-global-study-of-digital-crisis-interaction-among-gen-z-and-millennials