Investigation of Social Media Sharing Attitudes and Practices of Individuals With Different Mental Structures in COVID-19 Outbreak Process

Abstract

This chapter explores the effects of the stress caused by the epidemic on the individuals of the society with the effects of decisions taken during the pandemic and social media on people with different mental structures. The perception of stress/discomfort and insufficient self-efficacy in individuals were measured using the electronic questionnaire technique, and the perceived stress scale (PSS) was used to ensure a clearer perception of items. An online survey was conducted between 25/06-15/07/2020 by reaching 167 people. Awareness of the COVID-19 outbreak, their thoughts on the process, and the effects of the news they encountered in the media during this process were measured using the PSS scale. According to the research findings, the knowledge and awareness level of the participants about the epidemic process and the virus was found to be very high; as the age level increased, the stress/discomfort level increased, and the insufficient self-efficacy level remained at a lower level; the insufficient self-efficacy level is higher in younger ages than in older ages.