The relationship between social media panic of COVID-19 and Facebook users’ psychological state
List of Authors
  • Nur Imanina Ayshah Suhaimi , Nurfatin Natasya Syatira Najib , Nurul Atiqah Mohd Azlan , Suhaimee Saahar @ Saabar

Keyword
  • social media panic, psychology, COVID-19, misinformation, risk perception

Abstract
  • Data and news accounts on coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were easily spread and circulated through web-based networking media and person-to-person communication in the original, scarcely prolonged periods of 2020. Especially on social media where the usage of web-based social networking has increased rapidly during movement control order. Most of them started to post their activities during self-isolation, information on then pandemic and rumors to the other users which created social media panic among the other users. This event could lead to many risks in shaping how the public perceived the information during the movement control order. Travel restrictions is another paradigm, and on such figures that convey an enormous financial misfortune to the economy sector that can create panic and uncertainty among the society. When the pandemic started, social media user shared the information on COVID-19 blindly that could trigger the social media panic and affect their psychology state where they experienced sleep difficulties, panic and distress in managing the public risk perception during crisis. However, few months after the events, they started to prepare themselves with the information and awareness on the pandemic and changed their public risk perception and behavior to identify the social media panic during crisis, this study used the theory developed by Kasperson Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF) in 1988, to amplify the public reaction and psychological symptom towards the pandemic and the relation to their social media panic. From this finding, it can be seen that there is a Relationship Between Social Media Panic of COVID- 19 And Facebook Users’ Psychological State.

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