Impact of social media on public fear, adoption of precautionary behaviors, and compliance with health regulations during COVID-19 pandemic

Social media has become an essential source of information during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to understand social media's effect on the general public's fear, degree of adopting precautionary behaviors, and compliance with health authorities' regulations during the pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Jordan during the early period of COVID-19 pandemic. 827 individuals completed the questionnaire. Factors that had a significant association with increased fear included female gender (OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.8-3.7), married status (OR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-3.4), following medical pages on social media (OR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.42), and sharing of COVID-19 information on social media (OR 3.6, 95% CI: 1.8-7.1). The variables that were significantly associated with higher levels of precautionary behaviors were knowledge score (OR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.07-1.3), feeling of fear (OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.71-3.), and following medical pages on social media (OR 2.8, 95% CI: 1.8-4.24). Regarding compliance with health officials' regulations, social media as a source of information and sharing information were significantly associated with lower odds of compliance with the Ministry of Health's regulations (OR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13-0.5 and OR 0.46, 95% CI: 0.25-0.8, respectively). Social media is an essential platform for risk communication during pandemics. It plays a positive role in spreading knowledge and promotes certain preventive behaviors among the public. However, it may spread fear and encourage disruptive behaviors, which might be propagated by sharing the pandemic's news.