COVID-19 related social media use and attitudes towards pandemic control measures in Europe

Abstract

In this paper, we explore how the public sphere in Europe changed in the COVID-19 pandemic, i.e., under conditions of extensive social isolation and limited physical contact opportunities. Using data from the Eurobarometer from 2020 and 2021, we show what role digital and social media in particular played in the pandemic. In doing so, we pursue the question of what significance these media had for attitudes towards issues of pandemic control and thus also for emerging social conflicts in the context of the pandemic.

Cognitive authorities of COVID-19 information: educational differences and outcomes of trust in health experts and social media influencers in Finland

“…A significant increase in trust in political institutions was observed across European countries after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (Esaiasson et al, 2021;Kritzinger et al, 2021;Kestilä-Kekkonen et al, 2022). However, this trust remained temporary and eroded over time while conflicting and protesting voices grew in the public debate (Verbalyte and Eigmüller, 2022). Similarly, research has detected an increase in trust in institutional news media, especially for those who considered news media an important source of information about the pandemic (Knudsen et al, 2023).…”

“…According to a Reuters digital news report (Newman et al, 2020(Newman et al, , 2021, trust in news media increased from 2020 to 2021 in almost all countries, contrary to the prepandemic trend of decreasing media trust. In Finland, people's news media consumption was more common than the EU average (Verbalyte and Eigmüller, 2022).…”

“…Social media platforms emerged as pivotal drivers of polarisation and conflicts surrounding pandemic policies, amplifying dissenting voices (Verbalyte and Eigmüller, 2022). Detecting reliable news amidst the deluge of content became a pressing concern.…”