The Good and the Bad of Social Media During COVID-19

[Danyelle] Hello everybody. Welcome to Comets Discuss, part of the UT Dallas CometCast network, where we give you mini episodes on big trending topics. For this series we’re talking about COVID-19. With nearly every aspect of life now affected by this global pandemic, we’re interviewing UT Dallas experts — while practicing social distancing — to provide you various perspectives during this evolving situation. I’m Danyelle. Today we’re talking to Dr. Janet Johnson about how people are using social media during this time of quarantine and isolation. Janet teaches communication classes at UT Dallas’ School of Arts and Humanities. She’s a social media expert and has been studying media and communication for twenty years, first as a journalist and now as an academic researcher. Welcome to the show, Janet. Thank you so much for taking time away from your online classes to be here with us today.

[Dr. Johnson] Thank you. It’s nice to be here.

[Danyelle] Are you able to incorporate any lessons from the current pandemic into your classes?

[Dr. Johnson] Yes. Right now I’m teaching professional and technical communications and my students have to do both individual and group presentations. Usually they’re face-to-face and that gives you a different dynamic but now they’re having to present online and I told them, I said, “What if you were in the real world and had to present this proposal in this way because we’re in the middle of a pandemic?” And this will be a highly valuable skill that you can say, “I know how to put together a presentation remotely and send it,” because it could be they could be presenting to someone across the world and they don’t have the funds to go to that other country to present. This is a great opportunity for them to show and really experiment with this digital realm of how to present and how to communicate in this digital way.

[Danyelle] That is a cool silver lining that’s coming out of it. I feel like yes, we are all kind of being forced into this century and into this decade by having to do these things. Let’s talk a little bit about social media since that’s where you’re an expert. What are some positive trends.140 that you’re seeing on social media during this COVID crisis?

[Dr. Johnson] One positive trait that I’ve been seeing is a lot of creativity. We have a lot of negativity online but a lot of positive things are showing up on our feeds and there’s a lot of pep talks, there’s a lot of singing and dancing, and what I love seeing the most is kind and giving people trying to make other people’s lives better. We may have to be physically distant right now but social media really allows us to close that gap socially and we can feel more a part of that community and I think more people are showing that.

[Danyelle] How important is it for us to stay connected virtually or otherwise?

[Dr. Johnson] It’s very important for us to be connected. I mean, I didn’t realize that I needed to connect with my friends on Zoom and WebEx and FaceTime. I didn’t realize that until about two weeks into the quarantine where I just thought, oh wow, I really really needed to see and talk to people. Now I’m finding that the more I do it the better I feel and it really makes you want to connect more. So I’ve been talking to a lot of people on Twitter. Some of my friends that I’ve, I don’t know them personally but I just know them through Twitter, and we have our own little support group and Facebook has become fun again and just this way of connecting where we can all say, “oh my gosh, I’m feeling the same way.”

[Danyelle] Do you think that’s possibly why we have the drive for all of the social media creativity? Is it that people are possibly being more creative in the ways that they are branching out to interact and keep in contact with folks?

[Dr. Johnson] I think so. I think we have time and I mean think about families getting together in new ways and interacting in new ways and communicating in new ways. Would we have seen that otherwise? Probably not. This is a way for everybody to reconnect. I mean as awful as this pandemic is, there’s really, like you said, a silver lining coming out of this. I think social media is having a moment right now and it’s showing what its possibilities are.

[Danyelle] What’s your favorite creative thing that you personally seen on social media?

[Dr. Johnson] Oh gosh. That’s a hard question because there’s so many things. I loved it when Italy sang together outside their windows. Oh and I love it when New Yorkers bang the pot when they change shifts. And this father-daughter dance. There’s a lot of fathers and daughters dancing. But I think one of the best things I’ve seen is John Krasinski’s “Some Good News.” And that’s just shows everything people are doing on social media that’s creative and he’s really showcasing that side.

[Danyelle] Why do you think that show has taken off so well?

[Dr. Johnson] One: it’s about good news. I mean you can’t watch the news the nightly news any more without tears coming to your eyes and so just to have someone highlight people doing good in their community is what we need right now. It really shows the positive side of what social media can become and what society can become in the time of need and at the time of crisis.

[Danyelle] Do you think trends like John Krasinski’s show and the positive creativity that’s taking place on social media will continue after the crisis is done?

[Dr. Johnson] I hope so. I said this the other day that I think we’re gonna look back on this time and actually think, wow that was a really special moment in our lifetimes. We had time — as horrible as it is, as sad as it is — it also has given us an opportunity to reset and reconnect.

[Danyelle] That was a great point. I guess I have been really wrapped up in a lot of the negative stuff on social that I haven’t thought of it so positively. And speaking of the negative I’m very sorry but we have to go there. Let’s talk about fake news. How do we filter that out of our social media feeds and get more of this goodness?

[Dr. Johnson] Fake news spreads by trusting other people’s judgments and preying on people’s already held beliefs. I’ve been saying that we want to be as diligent at verifying information as much as we’re washing our hands. Because to stop a virus in its tracks we have to stop sharing it, right? And that goes for in person with COVID and it’s connected to fake news as well because we’re sharing that information without verifying it. Now I’m sure that whenever you see something on your feed from a friend you trust your friend, right? Well right now would you trust that friend not to have COVID and go up and hug them? Probably not. Right? You would just kind of hesitate. Well, what if we hesitated sharing that information? We could stop a lot of fake news from continuing forward. So what should we share? Information from the CDC and health professionals that you trust, that have a name. And articles from well-known, credible news organizations. Stories from your local news organizations. You know, brand names that have a reputation. Now, what not to share are the graphics or memes that show instant cures for COVID. I saw one that said if you gargled you could kill the virus and I was like, “huh?” So I looked it up because I’m a fact-checker and I just was like I wonder what, where this meme came from and the one thing that I saw after analyzing the meme that said “CNC” on the bottom. You know, “CDC,” “CMC.” So it looked credible, it looks scientific, but had no validity to it. So you have to be careful with graphics and memes that are discussing COVID that don’t come from reliable sources or you can’t find the source. Any information that is meant to create fear or panic. A lot of propaganda feeds on your fears so be careful of that when you see an article. And articles from websites that you’ve never heard of before. You know, check the URL. A quick Google search will debunk a lot of these stories. But Facebook is now going to alert you to fake news about the virus and lead you to the World Health Organization’s Mythbusters page and that page is really cool because it shows you every myth that they’ve collected online and explains why it’s fake, or if it has any validity, and where it came from. So it’s a very valuable site and I’m proud that Facebook is actually doing that.

[Danyelle] Yeah, especially with their murky past.

[Dr. Johnson] Yes and they have to do something because a lot of information that’s fake is coming through Facebook and it spreads quickly because, like I said, you trust your friend and you think your friend verified it and you’re like, oh and it automatically confirms your beliefs. If it’s confirming your beliefs and not challenging you it’s probably fake news. If you can’t find a source for that.

[Danyelle] So we’ve talked about some things that we should be posting and things that we should be avoiding posting in regards to fake news and what we re-share, but what are some good practices for what people can post on their own thoughts at the moment. Should people be posting things about their political beliefs, their medical situations or their emotional head spaces?

[Dr. Johnson] I would hesitate before you hit send. Always hesitate. You know, remember, we all went to share information that we find valuable or we feel is valuable and we want to get it out there but remember, not all information is created equal. So our best policy is, you know, if you’re creating an argument, remember to have factual, credible proof to help you back up that argument and to have examples of why you feel that way. I really do think it’s valuable to share your experiences. I’ve been seeing a lot of people share their COVID experiences if they had it and it makes it less scary for people to know that people have survived and this is what will happen with some with minor symptoms, some with more major symptoms. But I really do think it’s okay to be vulnerable because at this time I think it’s okay to say you’re not okay. Because I think online you’re going to find a lot of people confirming that, “yeah, me too,” and you’re going to find that support and remember there’s a lot of online resources to guide you to professionals who can help you and you should always ask for help.

[Danyelle] Do you have any other advice for people who might be feeling down or frustrated about the current situation and about things they may be seeing on social media?

[Dr. Johnson] I have started using the Calm app and there’s a lot of meditation apps, both free and subscription-based, and I find just taking social media breaks, working out, not being so hard on myself and having those connections with virtual happy hours with your friends, decompressing about the week or how you’re feeling. I think that will help calm but I think if we understand that it’s okay not to be okay and we know that we can get that confirmation from our friends on social media, I think that also helps. When I have a bad day I text my friend and just go, “man, I’m having a bad day.” And they’re like, “yeah, me too.” I’m like, “okay, good, it’s just not me,” you know, because I think everyone has it together during this pandemic and I’m finding out that it’s okay not to have it all together. So, I also take a lot of social media breaks.

[Danyelle] That’s a good point of advice for anytime, because I know a lot of people can get sucked into social media. So Janet, do you have any final thoughts you want to leave our listeners with?

[Dr. Johnson] Yeah. I think I want to stress that we need to beware the share and to really fact-check. You know I read recently an article, news article, they called it an infodemic and I loved that term because it really describes what’s going on today and I think if we just continue to be, you know, vigilant and trying to confirm those facts and to stop the spread of information you’re not too sure about, we could stop feeding that fake news cycle. And take social media breaks. If you feel stressed and you feel as if information is coming at you at a speed you can’t handle, put away your phone, go watch a Netflix show that makes you laugh. Go and do something that makes you happy. Social media — you have to remember as much joy that you can have connecting with people, it can also bring you stress and I think that the social media breaks at this time is important and being kind to yourself.

[Danyelle] Thank you so much for all of this awesome information. I think it’s really important for us at this time where we do feel like we want to stay connected to know that we got to do it the right way. So thank you so much for your wisdom.

[Dr. Johnson] Oh, well thank you for calling me wise. [laughter]

[Danyelle] Yes and thanks for agreeing to be our guest and best of luck in your online classes.

[Dr. Johnson] Oh, well, thank you. So wish my students luck. [laughter]

[Danyelle] Will do Dr. Janet Johnson is a part of the School of Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas. You can check out her blog and podcast at drjanetjohnson.com or follow her on Twitter @janetnews. Also, the School of Arts and Humanities is featuring a number of exhibitions, lectures and shows online. We’ll include all the links from today’s show in our show notes. Thanks for joining us. Comets Discuss is brought to you by the UT Dallas Office of Communications. A special thanks to senior lecturer Roxanne Minnish for our music. Be sure to check out our other shows at utdallas.edu/cometcast. For the most up-to-date news at UT Dallas visit the university’s official COVID-19 information web page at utdallas.edu/coronavirus. Take care stay healthy. Whoosh!