Digital Media’s Role in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth Vol. 8; no. 9; p. e20156
• Main Authors: Bao, Huanyu, Cao, Bolin, Xiong, Yuan, Tang, Weiming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada JMIR Publications 18.09.2020
• Subjects: Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; COVID-19; Humans; Information Dissemination - methods; Internet; Pandemics - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Social Media; Telemedicine - organization & administration; Viewpoint; COVID-19; digital health; mobile health; dissemination; health information; media; pandemic; social media; public health
• ISSN: 2291-5222; 2291-5222
• DOI: 10.2196/20156

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak has had a significant impact on global health, the economy, and society as a whole. Various measures are being taken to respond to the pandemic, with digital media playing a pivotal role, especially in the use of visual data to disseminate information, mobile health to coordinate medical resources, social media to promote public health campaigns, and digital tools to assist population management and disease tracing. However, digital media also faces some challenges like misinformation, lack of guidance, and information leakage. We encourage the increased use of digital media with a focus on improving trust, building social solidarity, reducing chaos, educating the public on prevention measures, and reducing the medical burden in facility-based sites.