The people of India were deeply influenced when Prime Minister Narendra Modi first addressed the nation about the scale of COVID-19 crisis and announced Janata Curfew which was later converted into 21-day nationwide lockdown in public interest. In his address to Nation whether on DD National or on Mann Ki Baat on All India Radio (AIR) he stressed on the need of social distancing as the main measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and also for better and healthy tomorrow.
Humans by their very nature are social. May be keeping this in mind the PM also urged people not to have emotional and human distancing while observing social distancing. A question which arises is how to reduce interpersonal distance while maintaining social distancing. One of the answers lies in prudent, proactive and purposeful use of social media as these days it has emerged more as an interpersonal mode of communication rather than a mere medium of information and entertainment.
People posting their pictures of “work from home” on Facebook, donation in Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) #PMCARES is trending on Twitter, people cooking food and posting on Instagram and throwing “cooking challenge” to their friends on social media, various jokes on WhatsApp on lock down and last but not the least never ending web series have just shown all of us that how social media tools have kept us be in touch even though we are not actually touching each other. Facebook and You Tube were flooded with “Thaali & Taali Tribute” videos of people showing their solidarity towards people working to keep all of us safe at our homes risking their own lives. COVID-19 web application showing the status of present cases in India helping people to be informed in this era of less contact with outside world. YouTube and other social media platforms are flooded with workout videos and people are throwing “fitness challenge” to each other.
Video chat/call on Skype, WhatsApp and other platforms to know the wellbeing of family and friends has become normal in our lives. People are donating contributions in PM CARES fund and other governmental funds through digital payment and posting it on social media to inspire others too. This is yet another shining example of social bonding via social media platforms.
MyGov Corona Hub has become a one stop destination of authorised information and feedback. #IndiaFightsCorona is one of the hash tags that are trending on social media. MyGov Corona Hub also launched an online competition on its web portal for people to suggest possible solutions to tackle the problem of spread of COVID-19 and the possible solutions. The competition also had the provision of Rs one lakh cash prize.
Most of us have heard the caller tune while we were on mobile calls that informs us about preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19. This is an innovative and yet very timely initiative of the government that deserves a big round of applause. Even Facebook has also started COVID-19 Information Centre for latest updates. Keeping in mind the reach, access and penetration among masses of these social media platform this idea can contribute to a greater extent to keep people well informed and updated. People are posting dedicated display picture of “Stay home…Stay safe” to mark their solidarity with this lockdown process.
Radio has also emerged as a vital communication tool in present scenario. The PM in his video conference with noted radio anchors of the country had urged them to play an important role in spreading awareness through radio to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The instantaneous nature of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, has created a new way for us to connect and share information. Today we interact, comment and share anything, anytime. According to a recent media report of Economic Times, mobile internet usage had increased around 10 per cent on average since the start of the lockdown, barring metros like Delhi and Mumbai which have seen as little as 3 per cent rise. The small telecom circles have recorded higher growth at 15 per cent.
Due to present lockdown people are compelled to stay at home and internet surfing has become one of the effective ways of engagement. At the same time when elderly, young persons and kids are together spending time at home which in all likelihood could enhance the level of digital literacy among who were till recently not very enthusiastic about using social media.
(AN Tripathy is a DGM, Gaurav Kumar is social media officer at THDC)