“How Coronavirus Took Over Social Media”

Coronavirus is a global pandemic that is affecting our daily lives as more and more people
are getting infected each day. As of May 5, 2020, there have been 9 000+ confirmed cases of
people infected with Coronavirus or COVID-19 in the Philippines. On a global scale, there are
3.58 million cases of people infected, 252 thousand deaths, and 1.17 million recovered patients.
This is why the government implemented community quarantine to areas with COVID-19 cases
to prevent the further spread of the virus. Shops and malls are closed, classes are suspended, and
people are strictly advised to remain inside their homes. Due to the global pandemic that is
preventing people from leaving their homes, people are using the internet more than ever,
especially social media sites. People now have nothing to do inside their homes so they rely on
entertainment that is provided by social media. But entertainment is not the only thing that social
media provided us during this pandemic. It provided information about the virus when it
suddenly caught the attention of netizens as more and more people got infected. This raises the
question, how did Coronavirus take over social media?

Through social media, people became aware of the fast-spreading virus and it shaped how
we perceived the virus.The first ever recorded case of COVID-19 was in Wuhan, China in
December 2019 but only in February 2020 did the search term “Coronavirus” explode through
the internet. Coronavirus became the most searched term in Google as more people try to find
information about the fast-spreading virus. Everyone in social media is talking about the virus.
Facebook was over-flooded by articles, news and videos about the new virus which spread fake
news . Youtubers started uploading videos that talk about things that pertain to the virus. Youtube
then took down videos that they deem to be spreading false information about the virus (which
prompted channels to avoid stating the words “virus”, “coronavirus”, “COVID-19” in their
videos to avoid being taken down). Because of the misinformation that people in the social
media provided, it caused fear and panic to the people. People started hoarding supplies such as
alcohol and masks, even supplies that have nothing to do with the virus (toilet paper). In the end,
people eventually knew the truth about the virus and as they try their best to survive.

Social media played a big role during this global pandemic both in a good way and a bad way.
People became more aware of the virus as well as how it affected people. But, there are also
misinformation that spread and eventually people became smarter to discern the truth from the
fake news. Social media does really have a big role depending on how we use it. May the times
become better or worse, people must now use social media to empower our frontliners and
spread positivity for those who are having a hard time right now amidst a piece of history that is
happening right before our eyes.
Sources:
Godfrey, L. (2020, March 27). Social Media’s Role in the Coronavirus Pandemic. Business 2
Community. Retrieved from
https://www.business2community.com/social-media/social-medias-role-in-the-coronavirus-pande
mic-02296280

Anonymous. (2020, April 22). Coronavirus: YouTube bans 'medically unsubstantiated' content.
BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52388586

Molla, R. (2020, March 12). How Coronavirus Took Over Social Media. Vox. Retrieved from
https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/12/21175570/coronavirus-covid-19-social-media-twitter-fac
ebook-google