SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE PANDEMIC OF COVID 19
Social media (Instagram and TikTok) allowed communication and self-presentation to thrive in online communities during the pandemic of Covid 19.
The pandemic of COVID-19 created a society that was forced to become socially distant. Social media assisted in closing the gap of loss of communication and social contact. A sense of uncertainty and loneliness were common traits in society during the time of the pandemic, trends on TikTok and Instagram created virtual communities for individuals to come together and connect where physical interaction wasn’t possible. Celebrities took advantage of their respective platforms to promote actions (quarantine, vaccinations) as well as displaying certain transparencies within their lives. Social media became a form of reality and truth, a vast change to the perfectionate standard that it has previously been upheld to.
Gerard Delanty (2018, 202) explained if “people experience belonging in virtual forms, then community does have a reality for those individuals.” During the pandemic, a virtual reality became the only reality for the majority. This reality created for individuals allowed a sense of belonging and relief in a time of uncertainty.
Many countries chose celebrities to be advocates for medical advice surrounding Covid-19. Ingrid Volkmer (2021) states Indonesia is among the most social media-savvy nations in the world. As a result of this, the government decided to incorporate social media influencers in the vaccine priority plan in March 2021 to encourage vaccination. Given that there are 65 million young people in Indonesia – 28% of the country’s total population – the government views social media as a vital channel for communicating during times of crisis. A few celebrities had live vaccinations on TV to spread the message amongst their followers: to not be afraid of vaccinations.
Celebrities used their platforms to raise funds and assist in ways they could during the pandemic. Fernández (2020) states “The cast of Pitch Perfect reunited for a virtual sing-along in which they covered Beyonce’s ‘Love on Top’ to raise donations for UNICEF’s COVID-19 relief.” This virtual community formed by the Pitch Perfect cast encouraged a virtual community and allowed several groups to communicate about a shared common interest: fans of Pitch Perfect, fans of Love on Top Beyonce song.
(Alexia Ferdández, 2020)
Hashtags used on social media platforms (Instagram and TikTok) allowed an increased virtual community. Hashtags such as #selfquarantine, #StayHome, and #keepingbusy are few of the many viral hashtags used throughout the pandemic. Celebrities such as Ashley Tisdale, Courtney Cox, and Jessica Alba participated in trends on TikTok which they shared. These common hashtags between celebrities and the rest of the world created a community that felt safe and relatable.
Celebrities such as The Rock promoted ideologies around the pandemic. The Rock shared a video of him and his daughter washing their hands to the song ‘You’re Welcome.’ Multiple celebrities further promoted getting covid vaccinations, and shared this on Instagram and TikTok.
During the pandemic Sukriti Wahi (2020) tells how Miley Cyrus launched her own Instagram talk show called “Bright Minded” as a result of being bored during lockdown. Cyrus states “It’s all about connecting with special guests discussing how to stay LIT with love in dark times,” The show is upbeat and genuine, with many fans requesting that it continue after the quarantine. It features prominent American psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen talking about anxiety, as well as celebrity guests like Demi Lovato and Ellen DeGeneres.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge in the usage of social media, as these channels offered a crucial platform for self-presentation and communication. Danna Ordonia (2023, 591) concludes her findings on the changes of environment on Instagram. Following the start of lockdown, images and captions changed on Instagram; more selfies and old-fashioned photos from previous occasions were uploaded. During lockdown, the number of images featured users in a ‘social’ setting, with captions encouraging or clarifying messages dropped.
Ordiona (2023, 591) continues to express how self-presentation shifted during the pandemic on social media (Instagram and TikTok), particularly in the lives of celebrities and influencers. These social media platforms were a crucial tool for preserving consistent contact and engagement with loved ones. People who opted to express and represent themselves online may have done so as a coping strategy to get over the psychological difficulties and risks to their wellbeing that come with being physically alone.
Rani Milla (2021) elucidates how social media has often been perceived as an aspirational place of perfection. Instagram grid photos in particular have long been criticised for their idealised and unrealistic depictions of people’s lives. The pandemic, in some circumstances, reversed this idealisation. Life portrayed in the digital world became messier: people stopped wearing cosmetics, children misbehaved when they were home, and houses were a mess. A large portion of that was shared on social media.
Ordonia (2023, 591) surveys how “people are generally thought to modify their self-presentation online to seem more favourable to others.” This dynamic shifted during the pandemic, celebrities went from exuding their wealth to sharing their honest lives, increasing their relatability, and showing transparency within their lives. In a time of uncertainty, truth and transparency from celebrities and people of higher power was somewhat reassuring to the public. During the pandemic, people’s online self-disclosure changed. Subjects like travel and socialising that people would typically publish about online were deemed unacceptable for the public. Subjects that are typically considered private, including health information, or talking about a person’s vulnerability to the virus, were discussed more candidly. Therefore, the pandemic also altered some cues and standards of online self-presentation in addition to altering the typical social aspects of disclosure.
Ordiona (2023, 591) discusses how online self-disclosure changed as a result of the pandemic; subjects like travel and socialising that people would typically publish about online were deemed unacceptable for the public. On the other hand, traditionally private subjects like health information and talking about one’s own vulnerability to the virus were shared more candidly. It follows that the epidemic may have also altered the cues and standards of online self-presentation in addition to altering the typical social aspects of disclosure.
Typically, people understand how their social media image presentation affects how other people perceive them, and thus they modify photos and videos to represent themselves accordingly. Given the situation of the time, celebrities chose to represent themselves in an organic and comfortable manner, a statement of togetherness in times of hardship. Celebrities additionally provided entertainment on TikTok portraying their relatability to the individuals. Celebrities such as Jack Black used entertaining videos to satisfy their boredom as well as amuse their audiences. Such videos provoked truth and understanding, presenting the image that celebrities are just like the rest of us: human and silly.
(Jack Black, 2020)
Rani Molla (2021) explores the pandemic and the new normal, where many more of our daily interactions were mediated by screens. The digital influx made us change the way we behaved on social media platforms (Instagram and TikTok), with the messiness and realities of pandemic life crowding out some of social media’s posturing and perfection. Instagram and TikTok communities created a safe and fun third place as an outlet for individuals.
Sirin Kale (2020) explores the reality of TikTok. A lot of videos on TikTok are comical quips. Individuals prepare intricate punchlines, pose as celebrities, or surprise members of their family. The site sometimes has the dreamlike appearance of a fever dream: films parody absurd jokes or riff on obscure online lore. Being creative is essential. During the pandemic, people were restricted to a confined environment, there was no outlet or escape space outside of the home. A digital third place was created on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, where individuals could have their escapism within the bounds of their home. People who were trapped at home using TikTok, pressed their phones against walls, and pressed record in adolescent bedrooms, house sharing across the nation. Prior to the coronavirus, TikTok was already quite well-liked, but the lockdown has increased its popularity. Kale (2020) states “on TikTok, we can just be weird. Which makes it the perfect platform to ride out a pandemic that has nearly one-third of the world’s population trapped at home.”
Celebrities became transparent in their lives, sharing videos and their home life. This transparency shared to the world instilled trust in viewers and followers. Several celebrities such as John Legend and Chris Martin, went live on Instagram in 2020, sitting by their respective pianos at home. The provided ‘solo concerts’ created a digital third place for consumers to enjoy and leave isolation.
(John Legend, 2020)
(Chris Martin, 2020)
Jimmy Fallon used his social platform to continue create his talk show Fallon Tonight using social media platforms and sharing on Instagram and TikTok, as seen below. This also created a virtual third place, where viewers could virtually get away from their home and continue to be entertained by celebrities.
(Jimmy Fallon, 2020)
Lenore Taylor (2020) shares how celebrities used their hierarchical social platforms to promote charities and provide some humour during the Covid-19 outbreak. Several politicians, music artists, and Hollywood celebrities took up storytelling for young audiences. This was also to encourage routine for parents and children whilst restricted to the home. These story time happenings provided a digital third place for communities who could escape virtually from home and connect with a community, also enjoying the provided entertainment.
Taylor (2020) continues with examples of celebrities such as actors Amy Adams and Jennifer Garner, who launched the Save With Stories Instagram Live campaign. Natalie Portman, Lupita Nyong’o, and Reese Witherspoon were also participating in this. The campaign aimed to raise money for Save the Children and No Kid Hungry by having celebrities read bedtime stories and read aloud. “They’ve become a nice little way to take a break during the day and get your mind off the shortage of toilet paper” (Taylor, 2020).
Viral hashtags such as #BookTok took over social media during the pandemic. Influencers took to reviewing books and providing feedback to a wider audience. Influencers such as Caroline Cares and Brady Lockerby shared their opinion and recommendation on books for audiences to read. This trend created a third place for individuals, who could outlet their expressions within a community – a virtual library – sharing a common interest.
Claire Armitstead (2022) explains how the #BookTok trend was a TikTok niche that gained popularity in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to grow ever since. The #BookTok style is dramatic and influential, with users crying over storylines or petting their books in self-made, music-accompanied videos. Discoverability and book recommendations on TikTok created successes with authors during the pandemic. It was a great way to promote reading as well as promote businesses in a time of hardship. #BookTok continues to grow as a promotional platform and communal space to share thoughts.
The pandemic brought new perspective to social media (Instagram and TikTok). It brought life and hope in a time of darkness. The boom of digital community exploded during the pandemic and celebrities used their social platforms to create a sense of belonging and community with the rest of the world.
REFERENCES
[Alexia Ferdanzez, Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson Plus More Pitch Perfect Stars Reunite to Cover Beyoncé’s ‘Love On Top’, 2020]
[Claire Armitstead, After lockdown, things exploded- how TikTok triggered a book revolution, 2022]
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/08/lockdown-exploded-tiktok-books-revolution-booktok
[Gerald Delanty, Virtual Community, 2018]
[Ingrid Volkmer, Social Media and COVID 19 – A global study of digital crisis interaction among Gen Z and millennials, 2021]
https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/3958684/Volkmer-Social-Media-and-COVID.pdf
[Lanre Bakare, A-listers lend talents to bedtime story initiative during lockdown, 2020]
[Mark Turner, How COVID-19 Changed Self-Presentation on Instagram and its Relation to User Well-Being, 2023]
https://academic.oup.com/iwc/article/35/5/590/7050891
[Rani Molla, Posting less, posting more, and tired of it all: How the pandemic has changed social media, 2021]
https://www.vox.com/recode/22295131/social-media-use-pandemic-covid-19-instagram-tiktok
[Sirin Kale, How coronavirus helped TikTok find its voice Sirin Kale, 2020]
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/26/how-coronavirus-helped-tiktok-find-its-voice
[Zizi Papacharissi, A networked self: Identity, community and culture on social network sites, 2010]
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/reader.action?docID=574608
Black, JB. 2020, March 30. Quarantine Dance
https://www.tiktok.com/@jackblack/video/6809716093549071621?_r=1&_t=8lLGc1IEVV3
Legend, JL. 2020, March 18. Distancing is important, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B920EARl9XS/?hl=en
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