key: cord-0703099-tkklkh8r
authors: Peyravi, Mahmoudreza; Ahmadi Marzaleh, Milad
title: The Double-Edged Sword of Iranian Social Media Against COVID-19
date: 2020-05-21
journal: Prehospital and disaster medicine
DOI: 10.1017/s1049023x20000722
sha: e6896df6df61d8026b9ef6b9bbd4ce944fe02f6f
doc_id: 703099
cord_uid: tkklkh8r

nan

(11) making the public resistant against disappointing news about COVID-19; (12) discovering and responding quickly to rumors and treating the rumormongers seriously; and (13) increasing trust in the media and governmental virtual networks.

Since COVID-19 is a pandemic and its prevalence is increasing in Iran, managing the cyberspace has been regarded as a major challenge. The cyberspace looks like a double-edged sword with both positive and negative effects. Hence, national and local governments are required to monitor the cyberspace and determine the boundaries of social responsibility and professional-ethical framework of the media during crises and disasters to prevent the spread of any chaos and false information in the cyberspace. Additionally, social media and health planners and policymakers should collaborate to create realistic and scientific information in the cyberspace. Proper management of the cyberspace makes the public feel relaxed, reassures people to give a better response to COVID-19, and helps return the conditions to the pre-pandemic status as quickly as possible.

A novel coronavirus outbreak of global health concern. The Lancet

Socializing in emergencies-a review of the use of social media in emergency situations

The pandemic of social media panic travels faster than the COVID-19 outbreak

The authors would like to thank Ms. A. Keivanshekouh at the Research Improvement Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran) for improving the use of English in the manuscript.