Digital media and COVID-19 in the UK and India

Abstract

With the coronavirus pandemic preventing various print media in reaching communities, social media platforms have become a global breeding ground for an information wave, both authentic and fake news creating panic and social tranquility. Many methods of sharing information have been incorporated by these platforms that reach the audience at incredible speed. More than 2.9 billion individuals use social media regularly, and many for long stretches of time. Over April–May 2020, a wave of fake news has clouded authentic information from reaching the community as these can be influential enough to impact the thought and behavior patterns of the individuals at large. There is an urgent need to create the digitally literate community globally in health communication, and social media can lead the way. The integration of social media in health literacy program content is very important. The chapter explores the dissemination of COVID-19 information on the digital public sphere in both the countries understanding its role in influencing the public response to the outbreak. It delivers an outlook on the integration of social media as an essential tool for preparedness, response, and recovery in relation to COVID-19; that can be translated and applied in future health-related crisis situations.