Social Media and Covid19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak was first diagnosed in late December 2019 in
Wuhan at China's Hubei province. After four months, coronavirus infection has spread to 6
continents and 185 countries, with a dramatic increase of almost 3 million people have been
infected and more than 200,000 people died.JHM As a result of the pandemic, the closure of
borders, social isolation, and the crushing of health systems under an excessive load,
peoples search different ways to achieve proper information regarding protecting themselves
from this disaster including government announcements, hospitals, private doctors, and social
media.

According to the data of February 2020, in Turkey with a population of 83.9 million, internet
and social media usage percentage to population are 74% and 64% respectively. Social media is
the most frequently translated way of informing due to its quick, cheap, and easy access
potential.

Although previous researches have investigated the effect of social media on different
medical situations, there is no study focused role of social media on patients' behavior and
information source during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the present study, it is aimed to reveal
the impact of social media on patients' attitudes and information sources during the COVID-19
pandemic.