Social and Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 Online Content at a Lockdown Phase-Europe and Asia Comparison

After more than a year in a pandemic world, more than 171 million people worldwide have been infected and over 3.5 million have died. The number of those who have suffered mentally due to the pandemic is well above this number. The virus, lockdowns, forced quarantines, and problems related to jobs and everyday functioning have left their mark on mental health. Additionally, the massive spread of COVID-19 content of varying quality in social media is exacerbating this impact. On the other hand, in times of social distancing, these media are an important link with other people and a source of social support. The impact of the COVID-19 content in social media still requires further exploring. This influence on mental health may also vary geographically. There are more and more reports of discrimination against Asians due to COVID-19. We conducted a survey during lockdown in which 1664 respondents took part. After analyzing the impact of COVID-19 content in social media on the level of life satisfaction, anxiety, and depression, we compared this impact between European and Asian respondents. The results showed that dealing with these contents affects the level of anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction. Although most often these relations turned out to be negative, we have also identified those indicating a positive impact. This was particularly noticeable among Asian respondents, who additionally showed a lower relationship between reading COVID-19 content and their mental well-being than European respondents.

Automated summary

After more than a year in the pandemic world, over 171 million people have been infected and 3.5 million have died globally. The impact of COVID-19 content on social media has negatively affected mental health, especially among Asians.