IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Abstract

The world is facing the extensive spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2. It demands special treatment of a dangerously ill patient and causes a great damage in economic and social structured. The Covid-19 Pandemic has had an enormous impact on the entire world in past few months. This pandemic has affected adversely the users of social media such as the general people and other professionals. Social networking services have been engaged to spread information to find humour and diversion from the pandemic via internet. In addition to being a global threat, the Covid-19 has created an excessive amount of information concerning a problem such that the solution is made more difficult. Users’ direct accessing to the content of social media platforms easily influences them and questionable information. Social networking sites allow us to communicate, share, ideas, activities, events, play games, listen music, thus helping us to create own virtual social space where we identify ourselves as one unique among the others. Social media has become undoubtedly an amicable source of entertainment, news and global awareness. Social media platforms have widely used during the pandemic due to measure social distancing encouraged by governments. People are informed to stay at home for avoiding the epidemic that is why they have been diverted to social media to maintain their relationships and to access entertainment to pass the time. Moreover, social distancing has compelled to change the way of life, creates un-relaxation on mental health. To utilise this opportunity many on line counselling services have been introduced with the connection of mental health workers, which help to raise popularity of social media. This review explains both the positive and negative impact of social media during Covid-19 epidemic on health-care professionals and on the general population. The capacity to bringing people closure than never before, social media have also established new and special challenges, including phenomena of cyber-bullying, exploiting public opinion and other forms of crime. Despite of this, social media can prove itself a positive weapon for influencing people’s behaviour and flourish the well-being of individual and public health.