The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on society and the economy, but it did not stop there. This crisis is touching on many aspects of life.
Take the media, for example, one of the areas most affected by the current situation. The crisis has dealt a severe blow to the print media. Print newspapers were already struggling with the global trend of digitization and the transition to electronic media.
Printed newspapers then suffered measures banning circulation, enforcing social distancing for fear of the spread of the virus.
While the pandemic hit traditional media hard, it also boosted the popularity of electronic media, especially social media applications. During this crisis, social media turned into a major player in the communication market.
Social networks have built on their long-established position as a producer for and not a consumer of traditional visual and text-based media. Online news outlets rush to get media content from online platforms that cover the activities of official bodies, personalities, political leaders, opinion makers, artists and cultural icons, among others.
With his famous Tweets, US President Donald Trump stands out as the most famous political communicator on social media. Presidential tweets have become the main source for keeping abreast of developments in American politics. The celebrity pages on Facebook, Twitter and other sites have also come to be a vital source of information and developments during this crisis.
The crisis of the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent physical distancing measures brought a boost to many social networks. Some apps saw their figures soar. For example, many celebrities found these applications to be a way to communicate with the public and become popular.
But in the course of the development of social media, the peculiarities of societies and cultures are gradually fading away. What often happens is that the margin of personal freedom we enjoy today is used to disseminate practices that are contrary to moral and sometimes even human values. Some promote racial insults, intended or not. Some incite hatred, violence, moral or religious decadence, among others.
Clearly, some of the new applications of social networking go against the grain for families and communities. Their development hinges on providing greater freedom for individuals, even at the expense of the intellectual property rights of content, as well as greater technical sophistication and usability, in order to broaden the user base and mass dissemination.
Their growth also gains from the drive for fame, adventure and being starstruck, while social traditions and norms, which have long acted as a bulwark shielding family values and morals in many Arab and Muslim societies, have grown less relevant.
Social media is now a reality the role of which on social development should not be taken lightly. They have also become a major player in the fields of politics, media and others.
Moreover, their pernicious role in spreading rumours, promoting negative aspects and challenging dominant societal values and principles has expanded. The social distancing measures taken by most countries of the world have revealed the dangerous potential of these means in spreading false news and promoting rumours about the progression, treatment and prevention of the virus.
Fabrications and false stories have spread around the world, if only to stir up anxiety and panic. Many of the social networks have emerged to spread anxiety and fear, to weaken public morale, to call into question the credibility of governments and the actions of authorities, either for political purposes or for malicious purposes to foment chaos and disorder and to induce the public to violate laws and regulations.
Some have also deliberately focused on the dark side and details of death cases, adding to the already palpable state of fear. Others sought to capitalize on the crisis by promoting fake drugs, claiming that they can cure COVID-19.
Faced with the rise of misleading content on social media, the leaders of Facebook, Google and Microsoft issued a joint statement. They pledged to work with governments to fight back misinformation, apparently in an effort to restore some of the lost trust in social media.
This is proof that the crisis has not been without its knock-on effects for traditional media. Many have used traditional media to verify the authenticity of information and to overcome the crisis of confidence that is gradually spreading to social media.
The future of social media as a competitor to traditional media depends on their ability to track down rumour peddlers, deal openly with fake news and apply strict professional standards and rules in this regard. Otherwise, their credibility is likely to erode until they return to being the sources of entertainment and distraction they originally were.
