Informative or Infodemic: Impact of Social Media in Times Of Covid-19 Pandemic

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Dr Sandeep Guleria, Ms Harjot Kaur, Dr Shikha Sharma

Abstract

Social media is a public platform used to create and share content through various networking websites and applications. It is an integral part of today’s youth especially in the current time wherein the world is facing a health emergency Covid-19 pandemic. As majority of the countries has been on lockdown for a said period and people have been advised to maintain social distancing, people are spending more time on social media platforms especially for the latest updates and news. Social media activity has grown multiple times in the current month as compared to the previous ones in the wake of covid-19. People have become dependent on Social Media to understand the current pandemic situation and learning different ways to stay safe from the virus. Social media has played a significant role in circulating important information among public through various networking websites and applications like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram etc. As they say even coin has two sides, fake information or information without validation is also being circulated through these networking sites very quickly all around the world. People are using these platforms to spread fake news by misguiding and creating a panic among the people. However the government along with the social networking websites are aiming to combat misinformation and track the information which is being spread on social networking sites.  The objective of this study is an attempt to investigate the extent of social networking impact during Covid-19 pandemic. This paper is an attempt to analyse the pattern of social networking usage and impact in order to determine effect of the information being circulated related to the current pandemic.

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