MASS MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA AS STRESSORS IN VULNERABLE ELDERLY POPULATION DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
SALIM BOUCHENTOUF *
University of Saida, Dr. Moulay Tahar, Faculty of Technology, Algeria. and Laboratory of Natural and Bioactive Substances (LASNABIO), University of Tlemcen, Algeria.
MUSTAPHA NEBBAL
Faculté de Médecine, Université Benyoucef Benkhedda d’Alger, Algérie. and Chef de service de Neurochirurgie à l’hôpital Central de l’Armée d’Aïn Naadja, Algérie.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The current global pandemic situation caused by the COVID-19 infection has put the human being in front of several challenges where they are often overwhelmed by a cascade of events and incomprehensible phenomenon. The world has realized that everyone is responsible and must contribute to the solution. Unfortunately, media and social media as well as some health officials have on the other hand and indirectly, weakened by their behavior and conduct a large part of the world population. In this paper, we give our point of view on the role played by the media in general in the weakening of the elderly face to COVID-19 contagion. In this opinion paper, we are establishing by a series of described media practices the relationship between the informative contents and the mental weakening of elderly by making them vulnerable and more exposed to Corona Virus Disease.
Keywords: COVID-19, public health, anxiety disorders, social isolation, mass media, life style.