In the global coronavirus outbreak, there was a 61 percent increase in the use of social media. While browsing the Internet increased by 70 percent, television viewing time known as traditional media increased by 63 percent. Kantar, a consulting firm, surveyed between 25 and 25 consumers from about 30 markets between 14-24 March to investigate the popularity of WhatsApp after the coronavirus outbreak. Time spent on WhatsApp has also increased in some markets. The time spent on the messaging platform in countries like Spain increased by 76 percent during the epidemic. 40 percent increase in WhatsApp usage: Growth has also been observed in the use of other social media applications. For example, Facebook has a 37 percent increase. The survey revealed that people between the ages of 18-28 mostly use messaging applications. Also, people under the age of 35 make up 50 percent of the usage on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. Usage rate in WhatsApp has increased 40 percent since the outbreak occurred. According to studies, there has been an increase in the use of social media applications such as WeChat and Weibo since the outbreak began in China. Although social media use increases during the epidemic, a large number of people do not rely on the information shared on these platforms. About 52 percent of people see TV or newspaper as a reliable source of information. On the other hand, only 11 percent of respondents said they trusted the information available on social media platforms. Facebook shared data that the use of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp almost doubled. Social media giants also argued that after the coronavirus broke out in the U.S. in January, the time spent on all its applications increased by 70 percent.
