Social Media as a Modern Emergency Broadcast System A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of Social Media During COVID-19 and its Impacts on Social Connec

The authors collected longitudinal, qualitative survey data from 32 adults during the eight weeks most states had issued shelter-in-place orders. Most participants were female and white, which the authors claim align with the general demographic characteristics of social media users. The authors found that while social media was used in a positive manner early in the pandemic, “longitudinal patterns indicate [this] engagement is short-lived with increasing evidence of negative engagement patterns as the pandemic wears on.”