COVID-19 related social media use and attitudes towards pandemic control measures in Europe

Abstract

In this paper, we explore how the public sphere in Europe changed in the COVID-19 pandemic, i.e., under conditions of extensive social isolation and limited physical contact opportunities. Using data from the Eurobarometer from 2020 and 2021, we show what role digital and social media in particular played in the pandemic. In doing so, we pursue the question of what significance these media had for attitudes towards issues of pandemic control and thus also for emerging social conflicts in the context of the pandemic.