ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN COVID-19: EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study investigates the public sphere role of social media during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan. The pandemic has severely affected Pakistani society, especially the working class. Young, middle, and lower middle-class, during the religious festivals, did not care about adopting preventive measures against COVID-19. Besides a huge number of people being hospitalized and dying, the pandemic also brought catastrophic social and economic misers to people in Pakistan. The results show that people used social media intensively for COVID-19 and trust government information to seek awareness about the pandemic. The study found a relationship between the variables of life-threatening factors such as perceived severity, immunity, and age and the adoption of preventive measures against COVID-19.  Along with scientific treatment, many people in Pakistan believe in the Islamic curation against COVID-19.