Social Media during social distancing - good or bad?

Finding Information

While we are on the subject of newfound skills, there is a wealth of information that you can find on social media. You have the option to ask people questions to find the answer to your problems, look through communities for FAQs, or use "fix it yourself" sites so that you can save a little bit of money. Alternatively, you can learn completely new skills, such as playing musical instruments, learning to draw, or anything imaginable. 

Escape and Entertainment

One of the largest reasons that people use social media for is escape and entertainment from the mundane. Flicking through stories of your friends and learning new information can use up a lot of the spare time you have. While that is one of the things that people argue is bad, it is better than having nothing to do and getting too bored. Furthermore, if you find some new information or learn something new, it can be a real skill that you can transfer to the world after lockdown. 

Connecting With Brands

Companies are quick to realize the valuable source of marketing that social media can bring. That means that they will often give their followers some deals like money off or early bird offers. Keeping in touch with these companies will help you not only to save some money but also to see which of the businesses have real care and compassion for their end-users. That can be a two way street to helping people in the community and the industry. 

Keeping Up To Date

There has already been a plethora of information about the lockdown and regulations that we all need to follow. Unfortunately, they change quite often based on requirements at the time. Keeping up to date on those current affairs will help the communities in which we live and the whole world to get through the problems that we are facing. The issue that you may find here, though, is that some people like spreading false information. That can lead to more significant problems than we already have. Therefore, we need to be careful where we get our information from, or social media could be a bad thing. 

It is not difficult if you know what you are looking for, to find lots of wrong information being spread around on all of the platforms. Some of the moderators are better at weeding the bad info out than others. Some of them encourage conspiracy theories and false information to get more shares and coverage. So, as I have said, be careful which you follow.

Is Social Media Bad During Social Distancing?

Honestly, no, I think that it has actually turned out to be a positive way to keep up to date and in touch with your friends, family, and the news. I do think that there could be slightly less usage of it as the world returns to normal, and I think that it would be a good idea to actively try. However, I believe that, unfortunately, it could have opened a trapdoor into pulling people in and keeping them there. Use it to stay safe, but look out for the issues arising from it. 

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Forbes India journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.