The Role of Social Media Influencing Public Trust in Government During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Government and media authorities play essential roles in distributing lifesaving resources and information to the public during an epidemic. Throughout US history and in past epidemics, the relationship between the public, government, and media has developed from a minimal communication to a vast, interconnected system in which information may flow in different ways. Since the 1960s, economic, sociocultural, and political factors have shown a decline in public trust over the years. Then, ever since the advent of social media, traditional media sources have been struggling to maintain trust with news consumers. Today, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the world, the role of social media has grown among the public. Providing the latest updates on world news and connecting people from all over the world, social media has been a popular alternative source for news media. However, social media also presents a danger due to the lack of editorial oversight for posts; anyone can share disinformation and may further contribute to the distrust in government and traditional media. My paper contends that social media has had a key role in discounting the credibility of traditional news while fueling public distrust of the government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of foreign governments that were successful in gaining public trust shows that government authorities used both traditional media and social media effectively to successfully contain disinformation on the virus. US government and media authorities must establish long term plans to create a stronger line of communication