The outbreak of COVID-19 and national restrictions to slow down its spread have significantly changed people's everyday lives. Many people engage in intensive social media use (SMU) to stay up-to-date about the pandemic. The present study investigated the extent of SMU as source of COVID-19 information, and its relationship with anxiety and the experienced burden caused by the pandemic in Spain. Of the 221 participants, 52.5% reported to frequently use SM as information source. The use of other information sources such as print and online newspaper reports, television reports, and official governmental online sites was not associated with anxiety and burden caused by the current COVID-19 situation. However, SMU was significantly positively linked to both variables. Moreover, anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between SMU and the experienced burden. The findings show the potential negative effect of SMU on individual emotional state and behavior during the pandemic. They emphasize the significance of an accurate and conscious use of SM specifically during extraordinary circumstances such as the COVID-19 outbreak.
Keywords: Anxiety; Burden; COVID-19; Social media as information source.
© The Author(s) 2021.