User:Pearl748/2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on social media

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is the first global pandemic to occur during the proliferation of social media use, and has affected websites and networks by way of Internet memes as well as videos and posts about it. Social media has seen a sharp increase in use during the pandemic, largely due to social distancing measures encouraged by many governments. Consequently, since many people are asked to remain home, they have turned to social media to maintain their relationships and for entertainment to pass the time. Moreover, social distancing has forced lifestyle changes for many people, which can put a strain on mental health. Therefore, many online counselling services that use social media have surfaced and begun to rise in popularity, connecting mental health workers with those who need it.

Increase in Messaging/Video Call Services Usage
Multiple social media messaging/video call websites reported a sharp increase in usage after social distancing measures were put into place. Since many people cannot connect with their friends and family in person for the time being, social media has become the main form of communication to maintain these valuable connections. For example, Facebook's analytics department reported over 50 per cent increase in overall messaging during the last month of March 2020. WhatsApp has also reported a 40 per cent increase in usage. Moreover, the video conferencing platform Zoom has seen an enormous user increase since the start of the pandemic.

Increase in Online Counselling Services Usage
Particularly in countries where the virus was hit hardest, online mental health services received a surge in demand. This is because COVID-19 has forced many difficult and unplanned lifestyle changes, which are never easy to adjust to. In China, medical staff has used social media programs like WeChat, Weibo, and TikTok to roll out online mental health education programs. In Canada, the provincial government of Alberta has launched a $53 million COVID-19 mental health response plan, which includes increasing accessibility to phone and online supports with existing helplines. In the province of Ontario, the government has provided emergency funding of up to $12 million to expand online and virtual mental health supports.

Effect of COVID-19 on Mental Health
There is extensive psychology research proving that connectivity with others develops a sense of belonging and psychosocial wellbeing, which enhances mental health and reduces risk for anxiety and depression. Therefore, when a crisis like COVID-19 strikes and forces social distancing, it becomes more difficult to maintain interpersonal relations with others and more people's mental health are at risk. In addition, the pandemic inevitably causes one to be concerned about their own and their loved ones health, which can add more stress. Moreover, social distancing has forced many to be out of a job, so many people have been worrying about their economic security.

Memes
Many Internet memes have been created about the pandemic. A Facebook group has even been created as a space for young people, aka "zoomers" (Generation Z), to share memes they create and find about the pandemic. The group is called "Zoom Memes for Self Quaranteens," playing on pun of the increase in Zoom usage and self-quarantining as teenagers, and has amassed over 500,000 members as of April 2020. This serves as entertainment for the hundreds of thousands of now displaced zoomers that have been forced to switch to online school to pass the extra time and help cope with the situation.