TS : social media and the coronavirus outbreak

https://time.com/5802802/social-media-coronavirus/

How social media is shaping our fears and response to the Coronavirus/ Time.com

https://time.com/5802802/social-media-coronavirus/

 Write an account in ENGLISH/ Scan the text and find the positive and negative influence of social media during the Coronavirus pandemic/ Define the tone+the journalist's point of view

How social media is shaping our fears and response to the Coronavirus/ (abridged)
As many school districts across the nation close to prevent the spread of COVID-19, social media groups and comments sections are becoming ground zero for intense arguments over whether such measures are warranted. (“Classic overreaction,” wrote one Facebook user, remarking on a March 4 decision by Washington State’s Northshore School District to close their facilities for 14 days. Others in the thread of more than 250 comments supported the move, congratulating administrators for their rapid response. Still others brought up practical concerns on many a parent’s mind this week. “This great and all, but I still need to go to work,” wrote one.)
Such conversations are just one way that social media is both offering a window into our collective response to the coronavirus outbreak, as well as shaping our reaction in the first place — for good and for ill.
As COVID-19 spreads in the U.S., social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which didn’t exist or barely existed during past major outbreaks, are facilitating important conversations about the virus, while at the same time allowing sensationalism and misinformation to spread. Furthermore, the unprecedented level of real-time information at our fingertips can both give us the tools we need to make smart decisions, but also make us more anxious about what’s to come, experts say.
The optimistic view is that social media could prove useful at a time when many of us are otherwise isolated from one another. Conversations around the coronavirus, especially those at the community level, can help us navigate this crisis, says Jeff Hancock, a professor of communication at Stanford University . “They’re allowing society to sort of talk its way through what is an unprecedented kind of threat.” Scientists and other public health experts are also using social media to more directly engage with the public or discuss emerging research, while community leaders are using it to form volunteer networks to help vulnerable neighbors.
But for every expert trying to share accurate information or community leader organizing a grocery run, there are thousands of users spreading rumors, sensationalism, and other forms of disinformation. The algorithms that shape what we see on social media typically promote content that draw the most eyeballs get spread farthest. Researchers say that model is partially responsible for the spread of misinformation and sensationalism online, since shocking or emotionally-charged content is especially good at getting people’s attention. 
But misleading content spreads faster than these platforms can fight it. More effective efforts to police false content would require a much greater investment of resources on the part of social media companies. 
Experts say social media is actually changing the way society is perceiving and responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. Humans take cues from other humans, and they may be more likely to panic-buy if they see other people posting about their panic-buying, says Santosh Vijaykumar, a health and risk communication researcher at Northumbria University. “We’re seeing a worrying trend where specific behaviors triggered by fear and anxiety — such as loading up on toilet rolls or hand sanitizers — get normalized and further diffused because they are constantly discussed on social media,”, if people see photos their friends out and about on Instagram, ignoring the call to practice “social distancing,” they might be more likely to go out, too.
Still, some experts say a healthy dose of fear might be just what we need during a potentially world-altering crisis like this. Over email when such messages are combined with useful information that helps people protect themselves or diagnose symptoms, the combination can become a powerful and actionable health communication message, and result in wide sharing and engagement across populations. (…)

Find the equivalents for :

Une platforme :
Diffuser :
Utile :
Nouer un dialogue, interagir :
Partager des informations  en grand nombre:
Répandre des nouvelles/rumeurs :
La désinformation :
Une tendance inquiétante :
Rendre facile, faciliter :
Des données en temps-réel :
Un outil :
Façonner :
Empêcher, prévenir :
Des réseaux de bénévoles :
Attirer l’attention :
Un contenu erroné, faux:

Use : on the one hand/ to allow/ to enable/thanks to / owing to/ can/ be able to

Counter argument : however/ despite/ although/ on the other hand/