Social media and COVID shaming: Fighting a toxic combination

Humans love to shame or blame others during a public health crisis.
Researchers say the practice dates back to well before the pandemic. But the warp speed and reach of today’s social media gives it an aggressive new dimension.
People shame or stigmatize when they feel threatened and need an explanation or a scapegoat to blame. It helps them make sense of what’s happening and reaffirms their way of thinking. Then social media sites take a practice that used to be confined to social circles or by geography and make it essentially limitless.
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