Right now, the world is battling a coronavirus epidemic. The virus has made its way to most countries around the world, causing a nationwide panic as a result of the spread of this virus.

Social media became both a vital source for information and a place for rumors to spread. Junior Noelle Titler believes that social media of all kinds is a necessity to stay informed.

“I feel like it would be harder to deal without social media because sometimes social media is used to spread ideas and especially information that could be extremely important in times of need and panic like we are in right now,” Titler said.

Not only is social media keeping people informed, but it is also helping friends and family stay connected during social distancing.

“With quarantine social media is bringing people together for sure because we are all stuck at our houses unable to go out and see our friends so social media is the one way we keep in constant contact,” Titler said.

Even with social media keeping people informed, there is always a chance of misinformation. Freshman Karsen Koehler believes that social media is not only helping, but also hurting the people looking at it.

“Social media helps with our current situation because it keeps people informed and reminds everyone that we are not alone at this time and there are others that can relate,” Koehler said, “However, it does hurt in a way. I think it can over dramatize a lot of issues, so sometimes you don’t know if you’re getting the truth or not which can cause a sense of fear and panic in people.

While some people believe social media is helping during this time, others think it is making things worse. Senior Warren Davis thinks the use of social media during this pandemic is causing more trouble than there already is.

“It has made the social pandemic 10 times worse, because of over exaggeration,” Davis said, “With the widespread of rumors about Covid-19 more people are getting on social media causing more people to feel self conscious in times like these.”

With so many people on social media not only are the rumors spreading fast, but so is xenophobia. On different social media platforms, like TikTok, different users will ask questions or make remarks like “Do you have the coronavirus?” or “Have you been to China?”

“Social media most definitely is helping in the spread of racism, because many Americans see it as it was a disease that was started in China and is killing mass numbers. In social media you can see it really take effect though because you see many posts about parents losing their stores because people are afraid to get Chinese food even though the virus had nothing to do with them,” Davis said.

Social media is an unstoppable platform in a time of crisis. It brings both information and fear to the public and is shaping the world’s reaction in both good and bad ways.