In the spread of COVID-19 in China, technology has played an indispensable role, generating both positive and negative effects.

On the positive side, the user-generated content was spread out through social media, raising public concerns even before the government stepped in. Dr. Li Wenliang at Wuhan Central Hospital sent out the first message to a group of fellow doctors on WeChat, warning them about a possible contagious illness like SARS, on Dec. 30, 2019, nearly a month before the government took actions. The message was quickly copied and shared in different social media groups. Even though the central government denied the potential of infection among people at that point of time, this message helped many people, especially doctors, prepare for the upcoming outbreak. Social media served as a tool for common people to monitor government actions. By collecting information through different sources, people were able to figure out that a large portion of the donated medical supplies went to local government agencies or private hospitals rather than to hospitals that were at the epicenter of combating the disease. The pressure from the common people forced the central government to bring transparency to the distribution process. Social media also contributed positively in other ways during the country’s lockdown and chaos. People connected through FaceTime with family members, friends, co-workers, etc. They were able to organize to bring order to the chaos. They also were able participate in group shopping, taking orders from residents of the whole building, then tasking one person to go out and do the shopping, then arranging distribution without unnecessary interactions.

On the negative side, all kind of rumors, fake information and misinformation were spread through social media, causing fear, stress and panic. Many people rushed to the hospitals for testing after reading various rumors on social media, overwhelming the local hospitals and further spreading the virus out. Other social media rumors said certain herbs and Chinese medicine could cure or prevent the coronavirus, causing chaos when people rushed to buy them. Overall, technology is neutral. It is how technology is used that defines its role.

Dr. Xinlin Tang, associate professor of management information systems
Areas of expertise: IT-enabled governance of interorganizational relationships, IT-enabled innovation and business value, and IT-enabled knowledge management