The social media outage of Oct. 4 just may have been a good thing, giving people a chance to see what it's like to be unplugged, says Jeffery Blevins, professor and chair of the UC Department of Journalism.
Blevins, social media researcher, also took Monday's outage as sort of a social experiment. Without social media, what was life like during those six hours?
He believes the isolation of the pandemic, especially during months of quarantine and shutdowns, prompted more people to turn to social media to connect with distant friends and family.
"There was a sense of loneliness and isolation … and here's a way … to escape that," Blevins said.
But social media also became a platform to spread misinformation about COVID, its cures and its sources, and political theories.
"Social media can create this false echo chamber," Blevins said. "People tend to believe what shows up on their social media feed, regardless of where it comes from or if it's true … anyone can put up a video of people who look like doctors. They've got lab coats on, and they're saying, 'Take this, it's fine.'"
It could be years before the impact of COVID on social media is fully understood, Blevins said. In the meantime, he urges more personal responsibility.
Featured image at top of Jeffrey Blevins: Colleen Kelly/UC Creative + Brand.
