Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media

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Social media became an active place to interact during the COVID-19 pandemic following the onset of social distancing. Overall messaging rates had risen up by above 50%, according to a study by Facebook's analytics department. Individuals at home used social media to maintain their relationships and access entertainment to pass time faster.^[1]

However, there were some concerns about the use of social media as a primary means of social interaction, especially under such constrained circumstances.^[2]

The pandemic affected the use of social media by the world's general population, celebrities, world leaders, and professionals. Social networking services were used to spread information and to find humor and distraction from the pandemic via internet memes.^[3][4] However, social distancing forced lifestyle changes for many people, which put a strain on mental health.^[1] Many online counseling services that use social media were created and promptly rose in popularity, as they could safely connect mental health workers with those who need them.^[5] COVID-19 caused more attention to be given to online psychological counseling, and the COVID-19 pandemic also caused great difficulties in face-to-face communication.

COVID-19 is referred to in terms of social media misinformation as an infodemic. The direct access to content through platforms such as Twitter and YouTube makes users susceptible to rumors and questionable information. This information can strongly influence individual behaviors, limiting group cohesion and therefore the effectiveness of government countermeasures to the virus.^[6] Additionally, platforms were used by politicians, political movements, and state and national level health organizations, to share information quickly and reach people.