There are two disadvantages of social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first
disadvantage is misinformation. While the information disseminates, the wrong information is too.
As before all large-scaled epidemic, it happens in COVID-19 duration. For instance, Ali and Kurasawa
(2020) state that there is much misinformation about the virus's origin on social media. One
conspiracy theory is that the virus was developed to use as a bioweapon against China. This can put
at risk the working relationship between Western and Chinese scientists who study on a COVID-19
vaccine (para. 4). Another way of misinformation is hyperbolic and doubtful medical claims. It is
stated that several traditional and natural methods are offered as the healer of COVID-19 on social
platforms (Ali & Kurusawa, 2020). For example, In Iran, some tweets asserted that beverages
containing spices like mint and saffron would cure the virus. In a YouTube video, people were
encouraged to drink cow urine for protection against the virus. These all sharing included
misinformation make the pandemic difficult to reduce its effects; furthermore, it causes people to be
confused. The second disadvantage of social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic is excessive
exposure to information. O'Brien et al. (2020) argue that it seems logical that the significant risks of
the virus are disseminated; however, much more exposure to information than necessary has
negative effects on people, such as anxiety, stress, and worry (para. 2). People can feel at risk and get
stressed due to this exposure. They can make unnecessary requests like COVID-19 testing. As a
result, this can create pressure on the healthcare system and increase healthcare personnel's
workload. Early in the pandemic, there was a misconception on social media that some products
such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer were scarce. This led people to panic and stock up the
products and caused real scarcity (O'Brien et al., 2020, para. 3). In my opinion, social media use
during the COVID-19 pandemic has two main advantages. Firstly, people get information readily
about the pandemic due to social media platforms. Not knowing about the disease puts people
under stress. While there were no cases in our country, we knew about the virus. Thanks to the rapid
dissemination of the virus's risks, people can take precautions early and raise awareness of the
people around them. Furthermore, people can be warned against misinformation instantly.
Consequently, getting information makes people comfortable, and social media enables us to do this
rapidly. Secondly, people can easily collaborate due to social media. During quarantine days, people
turn to stay at home for an advantage. For instance, they can suggest books, movies, or new hobbies
to each other through social media. After, they can share their comment on books or movies; thus,
they exchange ideas with one another. Also, some websites and applications have become free,
which allows people to discover new areas. To sum up, thanks to the social media platform, these all
encourage people to be productive and reduce anxiety levels.