The effect of Covid-19 and Social Media on the

youth
A constant journey of trials and tribulations

In the warm, sweetly ordinary summer of 2020, the youth of this nation roamed about in their
endeavors. Their hearts, beating with the hope of new experiences to live through. For some,
it would be a new semester in college. For others, the exciting and bittersweet transition from
school to university.
However, the grim reality that was slowly seeping through the air came through; Covid-19.
Suddenly, their whole world was taken away from them. They were ruthlessly locked away
into a concrete jail, surrounded by an unknown monster, which showed no signs of weakness
and lay devastation to entire countries.

In those times of grave crisis- a savior appeared in the form of social media. It acted as
the very fabric holding together the hope of millions of terrified young people.
Suddenly, social media went from acting as a mere escapist avenue to a platform that
distributed crucial information about this new virus. Social media had given birth to
the best weapon that the youth utilized- Information. They informed their families
and the elderly about safety precautions and preventive measures. Home remedies,
development on medicines, updates on vaccines, and news of the virus itself, which
kept evolving like a terrible nightmare. Every piece of information was a glimmer of
hope for every young individual who felt like they were backed up into a corner.

Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook acted as a platform for young adults to regain some
sense of normality. Frequent video calls, chats, and multiplayer games were all the rage.
Monthly trips to cinema halls and theatres were replaced with virtual movie sessions from the
comfort of their homes. Undeniably, it would never be the same as meeting their friends in
person, but it compensated for the feelings of claustrophobia and loneliness among them.
When families were separated, video calls made them feel together again. It can be said that
young adults developed a dependency on social media for happiness, to an extent. For a
while, it acted as our savior in times of desperate crisis.

In the darkest months of COVID, lives had been turned upside down. However, young adults
capitalized on the network they had gained online throughout all these months; and salvaged
on whatever resources they could find online to save lives. Thousands of groups of young
Indians across social media had teamed up to search for oxygen cylinders, blood plasma
donators, and hospital beds. Some had gone so far as to build entire logistical networks to
transport essential life-saving supplies to people in need. From personal observation, even
young girls and boys of ages 14-15 had taken up these mammoth tasks, with the lives of
others on the line. Through the darkest periods of the pandemic, the vigilant, proactive, and
swift response of Indian youth by utilizing social media was pivotal to saving the lives of
possibly thousands of people. By this point, social media was not just a platform for friendly
conversation or jovial chatter for young generations. A single message could save a life
during those challenging times.

We observe a plethora of individual emotions and experiences through these months. While
some youths who adjusted to this new scenario without any qualms may have felt like
nothing was amiss, others felt feelings of inadequacy and loneliness more than ever. It was
easy to lose touch with the people they loved or to spend hours comparing their "inadequate"
lives to those with more fortune or resources. Some enjoyed lounging around in their million-
dollar mansions and went on vacations even during a raging pandemic, others struggled to
find hospital beds for their loved ones. Yet these people saw each other through the same lens
on social media. The struggling individual would undoubtably sink into deeper despair and
desolation. Surely, it can be stated that social media was also the cause of severe mental
health issues among young adults. For some it proved to be more of a bane than a boon, as it
gave birth to a new pandemic of severe isolation, comparison, and self-esteem issues.

It can be concluded that social media has had a twisted and turbulent relationship with the
youth in times of COVID 19. It has been beneficial in many ways, but it may have started the
onset of mental health issues in the new generations which could take years to be undone.