The coronavirus is spreading, and so is the panic-inducing media coverage.
As Neal Rothschild and Sara Fischer write in Axios, “Many of the coronavirus stories getting shared the most on social media are packaged to drive fear rather than build understanding about the illness.”
As coverage of the virus has taken over the internet and social media feeds, myths, misinformation and sensational headlines are proliferating. Google searches for coronavirus have increased 8x and social media interactions have increased 7x, Rothschild and Fischer report.
Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., an associate professor of public health at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, shared his advice: take a break from media.
“You have to stop scouring social media and the internet for the latest twists and turns,” Klapow told TODAY.
I – Word Understanding
Myth – false belief
Sensational – catchy / interesting but superficial
Proliferating – increasing
Scouring – intensive searching
Twists and turns – surprising changes and circumstances
II – Have Your Say
1. Where did you get information about coronavirus especially at the start of the outbreak? What do you think about social media being a source of information?
2. Would you blame the social media for panic buying?
3. How can we use social media to promote good rather than cause unnecessary fear and panic?
4. How do you feel about the coronavirus now compared to the start of the outbreak?
5. What lessons can we learn from this pandemic?
724 How Social Media Sensationalism Is Fueling Stress Around Coronavirus
