Here’s how Covid-19 has changed the way we look at Social Media
When the first wave of Covid-19 hit India, never-heard before words such as Quarantine and Lockdown, were then used on a daily basis. When India witnessed its first lockdown from March 24, 2020, people felt stuck inside their homes because someone had the bat soup, the consequences of which made the whole world suffer. It was then when people started using various social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok to keep themselves entertained.
Social Media trends such as Dalgona Coffee, posting pictures of home cooked meals in restaurant style, yoga and fitness challenges by Chloe Ting, Hana Milly and Lilly Sabri were what kept people engaged. From the ban of Tiktok to Instagram Reels, everything changed.
When the situation started getting calm with things getting back to normal, and the vaccination drive being started, people started taking it lightly. It was then when everything turned into chaos by the second wave of Covid-19 which hit India making it the worst hit country in the world. The healthcare system almost collapsed, despite the efforts of the frontline warriors such as doctors, and nurses. Shortage of oxygen supply and necessary medicines and hospitals running out of beds costed innumerous lives.
That’s when Social Media came into action, people started sharing the leads on oxygen supplies and bed occupancy in their areas. Many social media influencers actively took part into this and shared all the available information on leads. Few posted their medical requirements, while others made sure to fulfil them. Many donation drives got started, and people came forward and donated as much as they could.
(Image Source : Twitter)
Many who were in home isolation took it to social media so that they could get help on food and various other essential services. Many NGOs and Restaurants came forward and provided free food delivery to those who couldn’t cook due to home isolation. Many social media pages promoted awareness by posting information about plasma donation, vaccine drive and patient details so that people could directly help them.
As the saying goes, Every coin has two sides. Here’s what happened :
With people helping each other through social media, saving lives and making a contribution to the society and urging others too, to come forward, there is another side which puts a question mark on so many things.
With so much happening around, and coming across such helpful stories, it somehow started affecting mental health. Many rumours started circulating around the Social Media especially on Whatsapp University that how deadly the virus is and how only home remedies can cure it. People shared videos of patients admitted to hospitals claiming that the treatment is impossible and people would eventually die if they get themselves admitted to the hospitals for treatment. This created an atmosphere of fear and panic. People started getting hesitant to come forward and get tested.
They started to worry that if they contract the virus, with the current situation, would they be able to make it through or not. And this led to unnecessary hoarding of oxygen cylinders and medicines such as Remdesivir. Many started stocking it up and then selling them in black. People who were away from their families and were under isolation felt lonely which led to stress and anxiety. Few people lost their families to Covid and surviving alone felt tough which resulted in suicide attempts.
As it goes without saying,
“Even the darkest night will end, and then sun will rise again”
With everything happening around, these times are tough, but one should never lose the hope. We should take necessary precautions and mask ourselves up. And have faith in our doctors, as everything would eventually end, and we would soon get back to normal.