Social Media Use During COVID-19: Real and Fake News?

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 led the world into disarray as people were forced to isolate themselves. Being known to be social animals, humans developed a coping mechanism: Increased use of social media to bridge the physical distance. This review article aims to assess the impact, both positive and negative, of increased social media usage on lives. The Pandemic made it clear that whilst social media is an important outlet for information, it is also the culprit since most of the websites spread false/fabricated information to increase their viewership. As a result, it amplified anxiety and depression in people’s lives. Tools to monitor social media information are a necessity to outweigh its drawbacks. This includes filtering misinformation, providing mental health support, and encouraging people to refrain from spreading dubious content that lacks strong evidence.

Keywords

• covid-19
• social media
• mental health
• anxiety
• depression
• internet