Work from home and self-isolation measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, which is now in about 203 countries, areas, or territories, are contributing to a surge in conversations on Whatsapp and ultimately providing more room for the propagation of myths.
A user from Noida notes that people, particularly from the software industry, are feeling ‘Vella’ (unoccupied) and glueing themselves to the 5-inch screen. She adds, “I can clearly see their khalipan (boredom).”
Several users from Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai also heed to an increase in the number of people spending most of the time on WhatsApp to kill their boredom.
There are more arguments, more offences, more love, more care, everything more now on the messaging platform, considering the number of times people are spending combined with the fact that the services are not charged. This might also lead to straining of relationships if it continues to persist for a longer time.
Daily Mail reports that China witnessed a significant rise in the number of divorce applications as “couples started spending too much time together at home” due to mandated lockdowns imposed in several cities to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
The UK based news service also reports that leading family lawyer Baroness Shackleton has warned that coronavirus will spark a rise in the UK divorces after self-isolating couples are forced to spend months quarantined together.
A Whatsapp user, living in Belgium, says, “I’ve downloaded all kinds of board games on my phone to save myself from group conversations and to kill boredom in these uncertain times.”
While another user from Bengaluru says, “As of now, I have been spared from conversations, but for sure, circulation of myths continues to be seen.”
Not only pseudo-news and memes, people are every day finding ways to somehow get past boredom and also deal with all the anxiety and concern that comes with the deadly virus, but the movement still seems to be limited to WhatsApp and other social media.