The role of social networks in creating dramatic collective behaviors due to corona outbreak: A case study of Bushehr

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Phd student in sociology, Bushehr branch, Islamic Azad university, Bushehr , Iran
2 Associate Professor of Sociology, Eslam Abad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Eslam Abad-e-gharb, Iran.
3 Member of the Faculty of Sociology Department of Islamic Azad University, Bushehr branch
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of social networks in creating dramatic collective behaviors due to the corona outbreak in Bushehr. The research method was descriptive-survey based on the findings of the field research. The statistical population of the study includes all people over 20 years old living in Bushehr (197864 people) in 2020 AD. Based on cluster random sampling method, 384 people were selected as the sample. Library and field resources were used to collect data. To collect data in the field section, a researcher-made questionnaire on theatrical collective behaviors caused by corona outbreaks based on social networks was used. The questionnaire was designed in six components including social fashion, social phobia, social lust, social madness, social rumor and social mania. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the content validity of the questionnaire from the professors' point of view and to evaluate the construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was also used to evaluate the reliability, which was calculated to be 79. for the whole questionnaire. To test the research hypotheses, one-sample t-test, Pearson correlation, one-way analysis of variance and structural equation modeling were used. The results showed that the values of correlation between the components of the research with the use of social networks are moderate and high. The highest correlation between the use of social networks and dramatic collective behaviors is in the dimension of social panic (R = 0.518).
Keywords

 
 
Ahmad, A. R., & Murad, H. R. (2020). The impact of social media on panic during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iraqi Kurdistan: online questionnaire study. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(5), e19556.
Ahmadi, H. (2014). Social Psychology (3rd ed.). Shiraz: Shiraz University Press. . [In Persian]
Aji, R. B., Anam, S., Bashri, A., Saksono, L., & Farid, M. (2020, December). Effectiveness of Covid-19 Socialization Media on Social Media and Healthy Life Behavior in Surabaya. In Proceedings International Joint Conference on Arts and Humanities Part of Series Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research (pp. 1340-1345).
Alizadeh Fard, S., & Safarinia, M. (2020). Predicting mental health based on anxiety and social cohesion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Psychology Research, 9(36), 129–141. . [In Persian]
Baccarella, C. V., Wagner, T. F., Kietzmann, J. H., & McCarthy, I. P. (2018). Social media? It's serious! Understanding the dark side of social media. European Management Journal, 36(4), 431-438.
Barkan, S. E. (2012). Sociology: Comprehensive Edition. Creative Commons.
Barzilay, R., Moore, T. M., Greenberg, D. M., DiDomenico, G. E., Brown, L. A., White, L. K., Gur, R. E. (2020). Resilience, COVID-19-related stress, anxiety and depression during the pandemic in a large population enriched for healthcare providers. Translational psychiatry, 10(1), 1-8.
Bashiriyeh, H. (1994). Revolution and Political Mobilization. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. . [In Persian]
Bäuerle, A., Teufel, M., Musche, V., Weismüller, B., Kohler, H., Hetkamp, M., ... & Skoda, E. M. (2020). Increased generalized anxiety, depression and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Germany. Journal of Public Health, 42(4), 672-678.
Benson, D., & Gresham, K. (2007). Social contagion theory and information literacy dissemination: a theoretical model. In ACRL 14th. National Conference, 29 (1), 244-255.
Choobdari, A., Nik-Kho, F., & Fouladi, F. (2020). Psychological consequences of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in children: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Quarterly, 16(55), 55–68. . [In Persian]
Clinic, B. & Parikh, S. V. (2000). Bipolar Disorder: An Information Guide. Centre for Addiction & Mental: Pennsylvania State University.
Cohen, B. (2008). Foundations of Sociology (G. Tavasoli & R. Fazel, Trans.). Tehran: SAMT Publishing. . [In Persian]
Crossett, C., & Spitaletta, J. (2010). Radicalization: Relevant psychological and sociological concepts. The John Hopkins University.
Fagherazzi, G., Goetzinger, C., Rashid, M. A., Aguayo, G. A., &Huiart, L. (2020). Digital health strategies to fight COVID-19 worldwide: challenges, recommendations, and a call for papers. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(6), e19284.
Gao, J., Zheng, P., Jia, Y., Chen, H., Mao, Y., Chen, S., ... & Dai, J. (2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during COVID-19 outbreak. Plos one, 15(4), e0231924.
Geeng, C., Francisco, T., West, J., & Roesner, F. (2020). Social media COVID-19 misinformation interventions viewed positively, but have limited impact. arXiv preprint arXiv:2012.11055.
Ghiathvand, A., & Mohammad-Taghizadeh, M. (2021). Preventive behaviors of Iranian people against the spread of COVID-19 and factors influencing them. Iranian Social Issues Review, 12(1), 205–237. . [In Persian]
Ghosh, R., Dubey, M. J., Chatterjee, S., & Dubey, S. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on children: special focus on the psychosocial aspect. Minerva pediatrica, 72(3), 226-235.
Imhonopi, D., Onifade, C. A., & Urim, U. M. (2013). Collective behavior and social movements: A conceptual review. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(10), 76-85.
Joudan, S. (2017). A study of social factors related to the tendency toward collective behavior among football spectators (Case study: Shiraz). Master’s thesis, University of Shiraz. . [In Persian]
Kathy, S. S. (2008). The Basics of Sociology. London: GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut.
Ling, T., Hoh, G., Ho, C., & Mee, C. (2020). Effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on social behaviours: From a social dilemma perspective. Technium Soc. Sci. J., 7(312).
Mahmoudi Raja, S. Z., Tofighianfar, A. H., Akbari, I., & Mahmoudi, S. (2017). The relationship between media consumption and social capital among teachers (Case study: High school teachers of Sisakht). Media Journal, 29(1), 57–77. . [In Persian]
Moradi, A., & Mohammadi-Far, N. (2020). The role of social networks in shaping social fear and lifestyle [In Persian]
Moshirzadeh, H. (2002). A Theoretical Introduction to Social Movements. Tehran: Imam Khomeini Research Institute. [In Persian]
Obi-Ani, N. A., Anikwenze, C., & Isiani, M. C. (2020). Social media and the Covid-19 pandemic: Observations from Nigeria. Cogent arts & humanities, 7(1), 1799483.
Oyebode, O., Ndulue, C., Adib, A., Mulchandani, D., Suruliraj, B., Orji, F. A., ... & Orji, R. (2021). Health, psychosocial, and social issues emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic based on social media comments: text mining and thematic analysis approach. JMIR medical informatics, 9(4), e22734.
Rehman, U., Shahnawaz, M. G., Khan, N. H., Kharshiing, K. D., Khursheed, M., Gupta, K., ... & Uniyal, R. (2021). Depression, anxiety and stress among Indians in times of Covid-19 lockdown. Community mental health journal, 57(1), 42-48.
Robert Park, E. (1967). On Social Control and Collective Behavior, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Rochadi, A. F. (2020). Public panic over Covid-19 outbreak: Criticism toward panic theory in collective behavior study. Technique Soc. Sci. J., 10, 544.
Smelser, N. (2001). Theory of Collective Behavior (R. Dejakam, Trans.). Institute of New Findings in collaboration with Dowawin Publishing. . [In Persian]
Soltanifar, M., Garanmayehpour, A., & Hashemi, Sh. (2020). A case study of the relationship between education and social participation through celebrities’ Instagram pages during the COVID-19 crisis. Educational Psychology Quarterly, 16(55), 69–94. . [In Persian]
Sood, S. (2020). Psychological effects of the Coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic. Research & Humanities in Medical Education, 7(11), 23-26.
Srivastava, K. C., Shrivastava, D., Chhabra, K. G., Naqvi, W., & Sahu, A. (2020). Facade of media and social media during COVID-19: A review. Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 142-149.
Tewfik, G., Aziz, R., Shulman, S., Naftalovich, R., & Gilels, S. (2020). Shared Content on Facebook Often Propagates Inaccurate or Misleading Information Regarding Covid-19.
Warren, L. C. (1976). Two views of dissolution: an examination of collective behavior theory and critical theory on the subject of mass social behavior. Doctoral dissertation, Simon Fraser University. Theses (Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology).
Zarabadipour, M., Asgari Ghoncheh, M. R., Asgari Ghoncheh, S., & Mirzadeh, M. S. (2020). A psychological examination of factors affecting COVID-19-related stress among healthcare staff and the public in Qazvin. Military Medicine Journal, 22(6), 517–525. . [In Persian]