فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Social media has become an integral part of daily life, influencing areas such as business, education, and communication. The COVID-19 pandemic increased this dependence, with people using social media to work and learn remotely, keep in touch despite social distancing, and stay updated on health developments. This research aimed to examine both the benefits and drawbacks of social media use during the pandemic.Methods: This brief review was conducted by examining six major international databases—Medline/PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and ISI Web of Science—covering the period from January 2019 to 2022. Eligible studies were full-text, English-language publications focusing on the positive and negative aspects of social media and related challenges. The search keywords used in the international databases included “Social Media,” “Social Network,” “Internet,” and “Virtual Learning.” After screening the titles and abstracts, 46 articles were selected for full-text review. The quality of these articles was assessed by three academic experts using the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA checklist).Results: Out of the 747 articles found in the initial search, 46 were selected for inclusion in this study. The findings revealed that social media had several positive impacts, such as enabling quick and broad dissemination of health information, boosting public awareness about COVID-19 symptoms and preventive measures, facilitating the sharing of personal experiences and viewpoints, and offering social support. Additionally, social media encouraged compliance with health guidelines, particularly among vulnerable populations, through the influence of prominent figures. However, on the downside, social media also caused reputational damage and defamation, raised significant privacy issues—especially due to healthcare professionals unintentionally sharing patient details—and played a key role in the spread of misinformation and fake news, which created confusion and potentially dangerous behaviors during the pandemic.Conclusion: Findings suggest that providing users with proper training and guidance on responsible social media use—especially during public health crises—is essential to fully leverage its advantages while reducing negative impacts. Moving forward, efforts should prioritize improving digital literacy and establishing measures to shield users from misinformation and breaches of privacy.