Whatsapp has fueled coronavirus paranoia

On Friday, March 13 at around 11 am, I received about 25 WhatsApp messages – all on the president’s announcement regarding two more confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country. Two hours later, images of panic shoppers in a local supermarket filled my timeline. The bubbling lava underneath the surface had erupted – Kenyans were officially in panic mode.

There was a meme saying that WhatsApp is the leading cause of the fast global spread of Covid-19 – and I agree. Even before Kenya had confirmed its first case, we all knew it was coming. According to NewsWhip, a predictive media intelligence company, many of the coronavirus stories getting shared on social media are packaged to drive fear rather than build an understanding about the illness.