Changing role of social media before and after COVID-19

What role did social media play at the beginning of the pandemic vs the present situation

The pandemic has shaken up the world badly and along with it everyone has been thrown off of their specially curated and some very old routines that can now not be followed anymore. This had frustrated a lot of people especially when this new hit people so out of the blue. Social media was used at the beginning of the pandemic as the platform where people could vent out these frustrations. Some did it with long, nicely worded paragraphs on their Facebook status while some used one or two liners and added even a humorous meme to cope with it. No matter how they dealt with it, people found their reprieve in social media. 

People who were away from their homes, stuck in distant places without their families could rely on social media to get updates on how the place is where their families are. They also could get general updates about everything. 

In the beginning when everyone was confused about what the pandemic is about and what catching the flue would entail, there was a horrible fear and panic that everyone lived in. Afraid of being stigmatized and shunned by others people took to social media platforms to even anonymously share their experience with covid and this provided reassurance to so many who had been in the same position, afraid of the same thing. 

Now when the situation is much more understood by people, we have started coping better. We have almost adjusted and accepted that we have to now go with the flow and create a new normal for ourselves. Now the activity on Social media has almost gone back to how it used to be except that people are a lot more reliant on it than they used to be. Older generations who would never bother with it, now use it too. 

Businesses who used to use social media as a side marketing platform now use it as one of the main marketing tools. Social movements have moved to social media platforms. Government has been using it too