COVID-19 INFLUENCERS

With most of the life, and the instruments that connect this human life, being interconnected, it is important to have access to diverse sources of information. Social media offers such opportunity. Social media also uniquely amalgamates the user and generator of information. It also provides a platform to fight tyranny, domination, centralisation and profiteering. It enables expression, political or otherwise, to friends and others. It can help in connecting like-minded people from simply sharing to joining for action. During pandemic, when there are restrictions on movement of people and interactions, social media provided that outlet for fears, knowledge and concerns. It played a role in calming the anxious, provided a channel for active and sustained networking of individuals who wanted ameliorative action. It helped in widening the sources of information, fought the dominant narratives of pandemic and has helped in educating the people. Panic created by mainstream media on the pandemic was addressed by social media, as it created trustworthy relationships between complete strangers. Science and scientific knowledge came closer and quicker to the ordinary person through social media. This influence of social media has now started showing its impact on the relationships between the governed and the governments. There is a sea change of social attitudes, before and after the pandemic, primarily due to social media. Mature responses can be seen emerging from cauldron of information that keeps churning in social media on every hour basis.