Social distancing, social media, and staying social

By Lydia Harkin

Social distancing, social media, and staying social

Has your social media screen-time increased during the UK lockdown? Have you found yourself commenting, liking, chatting, and sharing more than usual? You are not alone; Mark Zuckerburg reported a record 3 billion social media users in platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp between March and April this year. The lockdown has thrown a spotlight on the benefits of social media for keeping us plugged in and the importance of staying connected in uncertain times. This behaviour is not new; communities of people with chronic illnesses, particularly people who have been physically isolated and unable to meet friends, have turned to thriving social media networks for many years in order to navigate their illnesses [1]. I believe we can learn a great deal about the COVID-19 social media phenomena by looking at this body of research.

Social media and social curative implications

Let us start by considering how we use social media to overcome times of uncertainty and isolation. Firstly, we may turn to social media for our social and supportive network. As of March 23rd, many of us have cancelled our meet-ups, reunions, and small talk interactions over the water-cooler. Meanwhile, we are also facing a “crisis”, in which our normal routines are altered, our working patterns and stability may be impacted, and sadly, we may find our lives affected by illness. We need our social networks now, more than ever. Social connections and a strong sense of identity and closeness with social groups can act as a buffer to stress [2]. Our friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances, can provide emotional stability, informational day to day guidance, offer instrumental support, boost our self-esteem, and help us to feel part of networks [3]. When unable to physically interact, social media is a convenient way to reach out to others. Social media allows discussions alongside simple gestures such as likes, multimedia and photo shares, and messages at all hours of the day [4]. This supports a wide variety of interactions with a wide array of social connections, giving us access to a needed source of social support.

Overcoming uncertainty with information

Social media during times of uncertainty can also be a platform for sharing information. The COVID-19 crisis has been punctuated with confusing stories about the illness, frightening news about the impact across the country, and complex scientific language around potential emerging treatments. Individuals living with complex illnesses may find this to be a familiar story, as the language and information around illness is rarely straightforward. However, it can be reassuring to feel that you have a source of information in a time of uncertainty [5]. Social media facilitates information sharing using features such as breaking news notifications and ability to share news from across different platforms. This may appeal by appearing to offer the forefront of information, the ability to take control over the narrative of the news, to find and share more than one opinion or more than one side of the story.  

Crashing into distress; arguments and misinformation

Now we have explored two ways that social media can be used during an illness crisis, we can see how this could lead to distress. Social media may challenge our social networks when individuals argue online or publicly discuss distressing topics. Cyberpsychologists propose that interactions in cyberspace may be less guarded than in real life due to missing cues such as eye contact, gesture, and tone which can moderate what people say and how they perceive information [6]. Additionally, information shared on social media has the ability to misinform people, to spread rumours, and unnecessary fear [7]. In illness groups, as in the COVID crisis, information can be spread about alternative treatments and conspiracy theories, which can feed hostility to traditional forms of medicine and information sources like government sources.

So where do we go from here? 

Despite the potential negative implications of social media in the COVID-19 crisis, after reviewing the literature, it does not seem feasible to simply tell people to take a “digital detox” or to stop using social media apps. Firstly, this advice would overlook the need and the benefits of social connections in social media. For many populations, social media use is ubiquitous, and to leave a thriving social network might result in social isolation. Secondly, with individuals connecting, teaching grandparents to FaceTime, Whatsapp, and TickTok, raising fund via social media campaigns, we are witnessing powerful social cohesion and togetherness in social media. As social psychologists, we could advise on how to utilise this shared sense of togetherness to enhance the supportive potential of the online worlds.

I wonder, how can social group norms be used to support the after-effects of arguing in social media? How can social groups help one another identify misinformation? To examine this, I call for psychology researchers and students to theoretically explore the social processes taking place in social media, and to listen to the individuals who rely on this phenomena to overcome isolation. After all, when we are able to start venturing out of doors again, there will still be members of the population socially isolated, looking for ways to connect [8]. 

References:

1. Harkin, L. J., Beaver, K., Dey, P., & Choong, K. (2017). Navigating cancer using online communities: a grounded theory of survivor and family experiences. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 11(6), 658-669.
2. Wakefield, J. R., Bowe, M., Kellezi, B., McNamara, N., & Stevenson, C. (2019). When groups help and when groups harm: Origins, developments, and future directions of the “Social Cure” perspective of group dynamics. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13(3), e12440.
3. Mo, P. K., & Coulson, N. S. (2008). Exploring the communication of social support within virtual communities: a content analysis of messages posted to an online HIV/AIDS support group. Cyberpsychology & behavior, 11(3), 371-374.
4. Harkin, L. J., Beaver, K., Dey, P., & Choong, K. A. (2020). Secret groups and open forums: Defining online support communities from the perspective of people affected by cancer. Digital Health, 6, 1-13.
5. Bartlett, Y. K., & Coulson, N. S. (2011). An investigation into the empowerment effects of using online support groups and how this affects health professional/patient communication. Patient education and counseling, 83(1), 113-119.
6. Clark-Gordon, C. V., Bowman, N. D., Goodboy, A. K., & Wright, A. (2019). Anonymity and Online Self-Disclosure: A Meta-Analysis. Communication Reports, 32(2), 98-111.
7. Zubiaga, A., Aker, A., Bontcheva, K., Liakata, M., & Procter, R. (2018). Detection and resolution of rumours in social media: A survey. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 51(2), 1-36.
8. Sanders, R (2020) ESSS Outline: Covid-19, social isolation and loneliness. Iriss. https://doi.org/10.31583/esss.20200422

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