WVII speaks with Rosenbaum, Rickard about social media
WVII (Channel 7) spoke with University of Maine faculty members Judith Rosenbaum, associate professor of media studies, and Laura Rickard, associate professor of risk communication, about social media in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rosenbaum and Rickard suggest that people skip social media when looking for information about the novel coronavirus, because it is not vetted and may not be 100% correct. “There is a lot of information on social media right now that may not be entirely accurate,” said Rosenbaum. “I know that a lot of people are at home alone, they’re isolated. They look for social contact.” They recommend consulting the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), the federal CDC, and community leaders. And they suggested that people take care of themselves physically and emotionally, while following recommendations for hand washing and social distancing. “This is a kind of loss and I’m not just talking about, obviously, people who are affected physically and medically, but also just losing things like a graduation or a sports championship,” said Rickard. “We do have a shared humanity in this moment.”