Study: Use of online messaging and social media apps spiked during COVID-19 pandemic

News Medical Life Sciences (Australia), 27 Jan - https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210127/Study-Use-of-online-messaging-and-social-media-apps-spiked-during-COVID-19-pandemic.aspx

Similar story in ExBulletin (US), 27 Jan - https://exbulletin.com/world/health/699906/

The use of online messaging and social media apps among Singapore residents has spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, an NTU Singapore study has found. The nationwide online study looking at the new normal following the COVID-19 outbreak is commissioned by the Centre for Information Integrity and the Internet (IN-cube), a new research centre at NTU's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) and conducted by a local polling company. Assoc Prof Edson Tandoc Jr., director of IN-cube, said the significant correlation between the use of online communication tools and feelings of isolation from the survey results may help explain why most of our respondents reported an increase in their use of online communication tools in the past few months, as they turn to these tools to feel connected to others even when physical interactions have to be limited. The IN-cube survey also found cautious optimism among the survey respondents. Asst Prof Edmund Lee, IN-cube’s assistant director, said the challenge is how we can avoid becoming victims of our own success, ensuring that people do not get 'COVID-19 fatigue' and let their guard down as Singapore gradually opens up to the world. On the launch of IN-cube, Prof Joseph Liow, Dean of NTU's College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences said: "In this age of fake news, understanding why people seek information, how they do it, and how they use the information is therefore important. For instance, it is important to track an increase in the use of social media and messaging apps, since these spaces are also breeding grounds for fake news.