Social Media and Covid-19

At the moment we are living in strange days. Covid-19 aka the Coronavirus has taken over our lives. Jobs will be lost and we all need some happiness in our lives, especially those who are in self-isolation.

Social media is being used more and more to tell people what is happening and it’s great to get the news instantly. Sadly, there are people using social media to scaremonger and spread false stories. WhatsApp is now becoming something that it is not. The latest online global media organisation. How many of us have heard the stories of Ireland going into national lockdown last Monday and that the army is being mobilised to enforce it? These same stories are then be resent with a different day for the lockdown when it has not come to pass.

keep this between us ? pic.twitter.com/sTMDCkd5U2

— St. Paddy Raff (@paddyraffcomedy) March 19, 2020

There might still be a lockdown but I would prefer to hear it from official sources such as the government, HSE and reputable journalists. Instead of hearing it from someone who says’s their sister’s boyfriends best friends uncle works in the Army and they are going to be deployed to help a national lockdown.

The last podcast that I recorded and published was with Samantha Kelly also known as The Tweeting Goddess. We spoke about how social media is being used positively during this worldwide crisis and how a private conversation we were having on Twitter sparked the #Selfisolation and #Selfisolationhelp which ending up going global with the help of Helen O’Rahilly. This online camaraderie is helping to raise people spirits.

One of the sectors impacted by the Covid-19 virus is live music, and there are lots of musicians that are relying on concerts to promote themselves and their albums. One band, who has been impacted by this is the Donegal Blues band Blackbird & Crow. After a few crazy years, things had turned around for them and this year was going to be their year. They launched their latest album Ailm earlier this year to critical acclaim and they were looking forward to touring over the next few months to promote it.

As concerts have now been cancelled for the foreseeable future, Blackbird & Crow noticed what started in Italy and spread to Spain. Every night people would be singing and playing music from their balconies and windows giving people something to look forward to.

People of my hometown #Siena sing a popular song from their houses along an empty street to warm their hearts during the Italian #Covid_19 #lockdown.#coronavirusitalia #COVID19 #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/7EKKMIdXov

— valemercurii ? (@valemercurii) March 12, 2020

This prompted them to do something similar, and this Sunday at 8 pm they are doing a live concert on YouTube, Blackbird & Crow A Live YouTube Event From The Bunker. For this concert to go ahead they need 1000 subscribers on their YouTube page so please subscribe to what will be a great concert. Other musicians will be following suit and doing live concerts via Facebook and YouTube. This is a great way of taking our minds of what we are facing and allowing us to enjoy live music. Which brings us back to how social media can be used for good.