CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDY

The first study on social media during a pandemic date back to the
2009 H1N1 pandemic, tracking the prevalence of misinformation (determined
as 4.5%), terminology use ("H1N1" versus "swine flu"), public sentiments and
fear, and relationships between case incidence and public concern [10].
Previous studies used the internet to collect data related to diseases, such as
the search frequency of hand washing, hand sanitizer, and antiseptic topics.
The WHO declared that they are currently fighting not only an international
epidemic but also a social media infodemic, with some media claiming that
the coronavirus is the first true social media infodemic because it has
accelerated information and misinformation worldwide and is fueling panic
and fear among people. This is an unproven but testable hypothesis, because
users of social media use the platforms to express their emotions, feelings,
and thoughts, which can be a valuable source of data for researching mental
health.

ABC News reported a poll claiming that in the age of social media,
anxiety about the coronavirus spreads faster than the virus itself, resulting in
public panic worldwide. On the other hand, social media is also a practical
platform for the spreading of public health messages to audiences.

Brewer on BBC News posits that hearing a lot of information and news
about COVID-19 has affected the public and created panic, causing people to
live with anxiety.

Similarly, Rothschild and Fischer claimed that social media is spreading

fear and panic among social media users. Correspondingly, in the discussion
on social media, Cellan-Jones stated that people depend on social media to
gain information and facts about COVID-19, as some countries use filters,
which is why social media gives some information but not all the facts.
 After COVID-19 appeared and was transmitted to other countries
outside of Mainland China, people turned to social media to know more about
the virus. According to Molla, in just 24 hours, there were 19 million mentions
of COVID-19 across social media and news sites worldwide. The mass media
has been called on to take responsibility for providing correct information and
aiding comprehension among citizens.

Frenkel et al., reports that after the WHO claimed that social media
companies were fueling misinformation on COVID-19 worldwide, some social
media companies tried to remove false information from their platforms.

Victor claims that in today’s digital age, Chinese citizens could not get
enough facts about COVID-19, which is why they depended on social media
and widely shared their information, photos, and videos, sometimes
inaccurately. Likewise, in India, the government has asked top social media
companies like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, ShareChat, and Twitter to stop
publishing misinformation, as it creates panic among people. Similarly,
Emmott noted that, according to a European Union document, Russian media
has published a “significant disinformation campaign” about the COVID-19
outbreak to create panic among the public in Western countries.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the World Health

Organization (WHO), calls this the battle against “trolls and conspiracy
theories.” Misinformation creates confusion, and spreads fear, hampering the
outbreak response. “Misinformation on the coronavirus might be the most
contagious thing about it.” These circumstances can lead to an increase in the
people's unnecessary expectations requiring diagnostic, medication, or
referral services as for instance taken as shortage and black marketing of
face masks and hand sanitizer in India. As for low- and middle-income
countries with limited health services, this can make the situation worse
because these nations don't have enough workforce and financial resources
to cope up with this epidemic. Yet India is managing with its own level at its
best, but it seems like the virus' potential path is uncertain. Hence, this review
provides a bird's eye view of the impact of social media on the general
population during this epidemic. Government and health professionals must
embrace and make plans for the use of social media, work together, establish
limits and build guidelines for its usage, and above all, make them work for
the general population.

In a contemporary discussion on the effects of media, one researcher

stated that in some countries, social media impacted the buying crisis, when
many people tried to buy toilet paper and other items because of the
spreading fear of COVID-19 on social media. According to the newspaper The
Star, social media is responsible for much of the panic surrounding COVID-
19, internationally leading to a situation where social media companies tried to
eradicate posts about COVID-19 from their platforms.

Furthermore, Devlin stated that people saw posts of empty shops on

social media, which created panic related to food shortages. Additionally, Kent
noted that social media gave everyone the chance to share information with
everyone else, which is why people posted on social media as soon as they
heard something about COVID-19. In addition, it is noted that publishing
inaccurate information on social media networks about the spread of diseases
will have a negative impact on public health and people’s mental health, he
public sphere in the 21st century has undergone a transformation generated
by the adoption of online communication technologies. New media has
become an important source of health information and a platform for
discussing personal experiences, opinions, and concerns regarding health,
illnesses, and treatment. Similarly, Dillon noted that people spend a lot of time
on social media and may see cases of panic buying in various countries
during the COVID-19 pandemic, which can spread panic further.

In addition, El-Terk showed that nowadays everyone is an expert

because everyone tries to have a voice and send a message about COVID-
19. Correspondingly, Garrett explained that we gave power to social media to
create fear about COVID-19, as we all publish panic-inducing information and
it circulates.

Merchant and Lurie found that at present, due to the development of

social media, many methods of communicating and disseminating information
and news are available to the public. These are fast and effective and can
spread true information as well as misinformation.

In addition, La et al., said that many countries did not circulate

information to the public about the COVID-19 outbreak or were unable to
provide the public with the information they needed; thus, people relied on the
information they could find on social media. The Vietnamese case is a
successful example of dealing with social media in the right way. The
country's Ministry of Health created accounts on social media networks, and
through those accounts, they published information about COVID-19 to the
public.

Mian and Khan argue that there has been a worldwide increase in the
spread of fake news and misinformation about COVID-19, with misinformation
such as the lab theory on the origin of the virus allegedly "originating" on
social media.

Correspondingly, Petric and others believe that “media coverage has

highlighted COVID-19 as a unique threat, rather than one of many, which has
added to panic, stress.”

Depoux and others determined that social media has played three main
roles in the COVID-19 outbreak in most countries. First, facts about the
outbreak were published on social media. Second, misinformation, fake news,
and inaccurate information about the outbreak was published on social media.
Third, social media created fear and panic about the outbreak worldwide.

Little or no evidence is available on the perception and impact of social

media during this pandemic, in particular within non-Western communities
such as Iraqui Kurdistan.

Conceptual Framework

The backbone of this study was the conceptual paradigm. As

presented in Figure 1, the conceptual paradigm of the study, the general
steps, procedures and consideration are clearly presented in systematized
manner.

The Tyler’s Model Input-Process-Output was applied in the paradigm.

Input Process Output

 Impacts of Social  Action Plan that
Media  Data Analysis
could be
 Description of
proposed to
Social Media
Platforms faculty of
 Involvement of the Anselmo A.
Senior High
Sandoval
Humanities and
Social Sciences Memorial
(HUMSS) in the National High
 Online Survey
Social Media
School for the
during COVID-19
outbreak period better utilization
 Significance of of the discoveries
Awareness of the
towards Social
Media Effects investigation to
 Questionnaire improve their
rules in work
drenching for
better connection
between
accomplice
organization and
the school for

Figure 1

The first box is called the input it pertains to the Impacts of Social Media
Description of Social Media Platforms, Involvement of the Senior High
Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) in the Social Media during COVID-
19 outbreak period, and Significance of Awareness towards Social Media
Effects
 The second box is called the process, it pertains to the data analysis

online survey and questionnaire.

The third box is the output, it contains the action plan that could be
proposed to faculty of Anselmo A. Sandoval memorial national High School
for the better utilization of the discoveries of the investigation to improve their
rules in work drenching for better connection between accomplice
organization and the school for their future.

Definition of Terms

Social Media
 forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social
networking and microblogging) through which users create
online communities to share information, ideas, personal
messages, and other content (such as videos).
(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media)
 In our study it pertains to as forms of electronic communication
(such as Web sites) through which people create online
communities to share information, ideas, personal messages,
etc.
Covid-19
 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease
caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
(https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1)
 In our study it pertains to as a new disease, caused by a
novel (or new) coronavirus that has not previously been seen
in humans.
Lockdown
 the confinement of prisoners to their cells for all or most
of the day as a temporary security measure
(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lockdown)
 In our study it pertains to as an emergency measure or
condition in which people are temporarily prevented from
 entering or leaving a restricted area or building (such as a
school) during a threat of danger.
Connection
 the act of connecting: the state of being connected
(https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/connecti
on)
 In our study it pertains to as a relation of personal
intimacy
Mass Awareness
 Mass Awareness section of the CP&WB functions with
multipurpose objectives in order to reach profound
communities through different interventions.
(https://cpwb.punjab.gov.pk/mass_awareness)
 In our study it pertains to as a state of being conscious
of something.
Pandemic
 epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread
across a large region, for instance multiple continents or
worldwide, affecting a substantial number of people.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic)
 In our study it pertains to as an outbreak of a pandemic
disease.

References

1. World Health Organization. Coronavirus. 2020.  

URL: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_2 [access
ed 2020-04-07]
2. New Scientist. Covid-19: the disease caused by a kind of coronavirus
which first originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019  
URL: https://www.newscientist.com/term/covid-19/ [accessed 2020-05-
06]
3. Hernández-García I, Giménez-Júlvez T. Assessment of Health
Information About COVID-19 Prevention on the Internet:
 Infodemiological Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2020 Apr
01;6(2):e18717 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
4. Pappot N, Taarnhøj GA, Pappot H. Telemedicine and e-Health
Solutions for COVID-19: Patients' Perspective. Telemed J E Health
2020 Apr 24:1-3. [CrossRef] [Medline]
5. McGowan BS, Wasko M, Vartabedian BS, Miller RS, Freiherr DD,
Abdolrasulnia M. Understanding the factors that influence the adoption
and meaningful use of social media by physicians to share medical
information. J Med Internet Res 2012 Sep 24;14(5):e117 [FREE Full
text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
6. Woo H, Cho Y, Shim E, Lee J, Lee C, Kim SH. Estimating Influenza
Outbreaks Using Both Search Engine Query Data and Social Media
Data in South Korea. J Med Internet Res 2016 Jul 04;18(7):e177
[FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
7. Kemp S. Digital 2020: Iraq. 2020.  
URL: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-iraq [accessed 2020-
02-18]

8. World Health Organization, Commission on Social Determinants of

Health. Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action
on the Social Determinants of Health. Available from:
http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en. [Last retrieved on 2020 Apr
19]. Back to cited text no. 13

9. Bender JL, Yue RY, To MJ, Deacken L, Jadad AR. A lot of action, but
not in the right direction: Systematic review and content analysis of
smartphone applications for the prevention, detection, and
management of cancer. J Med Internet Res 2013;15:e287. Back to
cited text no. 14

10. Nursing and Midwifery Council. Social Media Guidance; 2015.

Available from: https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/guidance/social-
media-guidance. [Last retrieved on 2020 Apr 19]. Back to cited text no.
15
SOCIAL MEDIA AND IT’S IMPACT TO THE GRADE 12 HUMSS OF
ANSELMO A. SANDOVAL MEMORIAL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC 2020-2021

READ: The COVID -19 pandemic has imbedded our lives in different ways.
We would like to ask about the impacts of social media during the COVID-19
pandemic period. This survey is part of the Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATIONS AND IMMERSION
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES. We respectfully request your
participation in the survey questions below. Think about the time since March
1, 2020. Thank you for your cooperation.

NOTE: Your answers are completely confidential.

Directions: Check the box that matches your answer.

1. Respondents' Demographic Information

1.1 How old are you? (Select the age group to which you belong).
 16-18 years old
 19-21 years old
 22-24 years old
1.2 What is your current gender identity?
 Male
 Female
 Others
1.3 Social media you keep on using;
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Instagram
 YouTube
 Messenger
1.4 Number of hours used in social media per day (Select the range of hours
below).
 1-3 hours
 4-6 hours
 7-9 hours
  10-13 hours
 14-16 hours

2. Impacts of social media to the HUMSS students of Anselmo A.

Sandoval Memorial National High School during this COVID19
Pandemic.
Directions: Select the level that fits best your experiences. Make a
note of the number of your response and use the guidelines below
as a guide.
1- Strongly Agree
2- Agree
3- Disagree
4- Strongly Disagree
2.1 I can grow my professional network online tremendously by
connecting with colleagues, mentors, role models and other
professionals.
2.2 Publishing more news and information related to COVID-19 on
social media has spread fear and panic among the people.
2.3 Social networks provide a higher value experience.
2.4 Social media gives me an opportunity to talk about what I know
and what I want to be known for.
2.5 I can easily learn about current events and things taking place
near me through social media.

3. How do the respondents assess the effect of using social media

to them during pandemic in terms of:

Directions: Select the level that fits best your experiences. Make a note of
the number of your response and use the guidelines below as a guide.
 1- Strongly Agree
2- Agree
3- Disagree
4- Strongly Disagree

3.1 Emotional
1.Social media helps me to overcome the anxieties I felt during the
quarantine period.
2. Social media allows me to acknowledge the cause of my own
emotions.
3.I can develop empathy with the online networks.
4. Social media gives me the courage to face any uncertainties in
surroundings today.
5. Social media won’t cause any harm to my mental state.
3.2 Psychological

1.Social media has a great impact on my mental health both

positively and negatively.

2. Social media allows me to possess an open-mind capability in

order for me to understand my situation.

3. Social media has developed my self-control.

4. Social media motivates me in every single day I spend my hours

with it.

5. Social media can cause trauma, bereavement and severe stress

that could cause a high risk psychologically.

3.3 Social Aspects

1. I become more conscious with my looks.

2. I tend to set goals like what I have watched in social media.

3. Social media help me to improved my social development which
leads me to have an opinion towards what is happening in my
society.

4. I learned some trending slangs during the quarantine period.

5. Social media may promote negative experiences such as

inadequacy about my life or appearance.