Climate crisis platform Science Moms brings together trusted scientists to provide parents with expert information and resources on climate change. The self-described non-partisan group’s mission reflects a growing demand from mothers for credible sources of information on global issues.

Science Moms: climate change facts for parents

Getting a vaccine may seem like the easiest choice in the world for some, but for others, a constellation of motivations and fears serves as barriers to accepting medical interference. Canvas8 polled 1,000 Americans and spoke to ten people to find out where they turn for trusted medical information.

What makes Americans trust new health treatments?

The concept of ‘defensive dressing’ might once have evoked images of Kelvar vests or plate armour, but in 2020, protective apparel and accessories have become commonplace as people look to minimise their exposure to COVID-19. How is a desire to stay healthy and safe impacting style choices?

How people came to see clothes as armour

Big Pharma’s reputation has been tarnished over the years by high drug prices and the opioid crisis, but the coronavirus pandemic could be a pivotal moment for the industry. Canvas8 spoke to Oksana Pyzik, a senior teaching fellow at UCL, to find out how pharma firms can regain people's trust.

How can Big Pharma build trust post-pandemic?

Natural disasters, global crises, and a pandemic have made people more aware than ever of the need to prepare for the unexpected. With individual- to family-sized prepper packs, preparedness nudges, and an SMS helpline, Judy ensures Americans are equipped for whatever may come their way.

Judy: prepper packs for modern Americans

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top immunologist, has attracted a dedicated stanbase due to leading the US in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. His popularity sheds some light on how people’s attitudes to experts, and leaders, may change in a post-pandemic world.

Dr. Fauci: an influencer for the COVID-19 age

In the middle of a pandemic, Americans are scrambling to keep abreast of the headlines – and stay sane while doing so. How can people stay informed while maintaining their mental health? And what else, besides objective information, can the media offer to those stuck at home?

What do people want from the media in anxious times?

A return to expertise goes beyond the facts. Seeking to get a grip on an unfamiliar situation, people are turning to reputable specialists for a sense of direction. They’re perusing 

 for lockdown-friendly home improvement ideas and picking up Albert Camus’ novel 

 to understand how pandemics shape society.

While people may not trust brands or governments to solve the pandemic independently, they’re putting their faith in public-private collaborations. For example, WhatsApp partnered with the World Health Organization to tackle misinformation on dark social platforms, while Chunghwa Telecom worked with the Taiwanese government to develop sophisticated contact tracing.

CRISIS BEHAVIOURS

POST-CRISIS BEHAVIOURS

Historically, responses to pandemics have followed a pattern – from initial denial and anxiety to a period of adjustment and, finally, the establishment of a new normal. These stages are mapped against the estimated number of new active cases over time. 

The World Health Organization has joined TikTok to teach teens about COVID-19 through informative videos. As fears around the virus intensify and conspiracy theories snowball, expert bodies and social platforms alike are recognising a need to communicate the facts. (March 2020)

Twitter tagged two of Donald Trump’s tweets with fact-checking warnings – a marked shift from the platform’s usual laissez-faireapproach. People have long demanded more action from tech giants to stop the spread of fake news and this marks a watershed moment in that fight. (May 2020)

While COVID-19 has been disruptive to nearly everyone, children are in a particularly difficult position to process the crisis. As parents struggle to explain the pandemic to their kids, a range of colouring books has been launched to help them communicate their changed reality. (June 2020)

Research has found that people who consume news on social media are far more likely to mistake satire or fiction for reality because of the way stories are jumbled together. This has serious implications during a crisis, so publishers and platforms need to offer more clarity. (May 2020)

We've long lived out our anxieties through the media we consume, and the same is true during this pandemic. Netflix series 

explores the philosophical concepts of life and death at a time when people are isolating at home and contemplating their mortality. (June 2020)

People are expecting social networks to take more responsibility for limiting the spread of fake news – but platforms are pushing back by asking people to share responsibly. Twitter is testing an alert that prompts users to read articles before sending rather than taking them at face value. (June 2020)

EMERGING DEVELOPMENTS

Before COVID-19 appeared on the scene, America was in the middle of a different crisis. The mental health troubles faced by a significant part of the population were illuminated by the Gallup World Emotions Report, which found that 45% of Americans felt stressed and worried in the day prior to the survey in 2019, compared to a global average of 35%. 

 Fast-forward to spring 2020 and one source of anxiety seems to have taken over – a poll from the American Psychiatric Association revealed that 48% of people were anxious about becoming infected with coronavirus, 40% feared they could become seriously ill or die, and 62% were worried that their family and loved ones could contract the virus. 

 Meanwhile, a separate Axios survey from mid-March showed a week-on-week decline in mental health for 22% of Americans. 

Anxiety doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s perpetuated by the media, the very source that Americans entrust to provide critical information on the evolving pandemic. Well aware of this paradox, people are torn between their dual desire for information and mental wellbeing – in 2019, 72% of adults nationwide agreed with the statement ‘the media blow things out of proportion’, while 54% said they ‘want to stay informed about the news but following it causes them stress’. 

 With Americans spending more time at home due to the virus, viewership of TV news channels is surging despite the ensuing stress. For example, towards the end of March, NBC’s 

 saw 47% more viewers than its average for the time of year, while CNN’s daytime audience was 132% bigger than the same week in 2019. 

 Though an uncomfortable catch-22, Americans have no choice but to tune in when essential information can mean the difference between life and death.

Coined by psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, the ‘availability heuristic’ asserts that “people estimate the probability of an event or the frequency of a kind of thing by the ease with which instances come to mind.” 

 Following this logic, the omnipresence of coronavirus-related news is fuel for the fire when it comes to anxiety. It’s not surprising, then, that 81% of Americans surveyed in March were yearning for some good news. 

 Just as rules, regulations, and statistics can be obtained from the media, so too can tales that inspire hope and distraction. Highlighting the appeal of positivity in a crisis, the 

 of actor John Krasinski’s ‘Some Good News’ YouTube series has been viewed more than 17 million times since March 30. And rather than glossing over problems entirely, the stories produced by London-based Positive News “help [viewers] see how people are responding in positive ways to the situation, and they help people to see that change can happen,” says CEO Seán Dagan Wood. 

 So, how exactly can brands and media organizations help Americans stay informed and entertained while maintaining their mental wellbeing during a pandemic?

With statistics and directives being updated rapidly, news consumption has soared in an attempt to keep track of everything. One of the more obvious ways Americans are staying informed is by following digital news sources, with analytics platform Chartbeat reporting a 33% year-on-year increase in page views for news publishers over a week in March, as well as a 30% increase in time spent scrolling, clicking, and reading articles. 

 While many industries suffer from the fallout of the pandemic, news outlets are trucking along. “In a way,” says Daniel Hallin, a journalism historian and professor of communication, “this is the kind of thing that the media do a good job of, in general, where they can play this role of bringing the community together and providing people with practical information as well as connection to everybody else in the community. Natural disasters are like that on a smaller and shorter scale.” 

Yet traditional methods of consumption are only part of the story. Americans are increasingly turning to social media to get their daily scoop, with 55% of adults surveyed in 2019 saying they obtained news from social media either ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’, up from 47% in 2018. 

 In keeping with this shift (and the general surge in news consumption), Facebook Live has grown in popularity since COVID-19 spread globally. In the US alone, the number of viewers increased by as much as 50% between February and March, coinciding with the WHO’s declaration of a pandemic and New York’s first case. 

 “Especially in this kind of situation, a very large part of what [users] are encountering on social media is from mainstream media or public health officials,” explains Hallin. 

 Though the content on these channels varies – from musical performances to panel discussions to cooking lessons – established media organizations are also making themselves available online, with the likes of ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, and 

 taking advantage of Facebook Live’s large audiences.

With Americans turning to social media en masse, their chances of encountering ‘fake news’ have grown. Though a good chunk of those who favor Facebook and Twitter over CNN and CBS are aware of the risks – 53% of Americans say one-sided stories are ‘a very big problem’ when it comes to news on social media, while 51% say the same of inaccurate news – companies are having to take matters into their own hands to mitigate misinformation. 

 For example, after facing backlash about lax rules, Twitter has broadly defined harmful content as anything that ‘goes directly against guidance from authoritative sources of global and local public health information’. 

 As well as nipping dangerous misinformation in the bud, policies like these appease users, increasing both accuracy and public trust.

The ‘infodemic’ has people wary of virus-related advice they see online

Once updated on the day’s developments, many Americans are seeking to tune out of the real world and engage in virtual ones. In the age of COVID-19, no form of entertainment feels quite as ubiquitous as 

. The seventh installment of the popular game franchise, which was released on the Nintendo Switch in March, allows players to create an island utopia and explore islands made by friends. More importantly, writes CNN reporter AJ Willingham, “its simple, gentle world is providing players with something that, like toilet paper and fresh fruit, seems to be in short supply: a sense of normalcy.” 

The arrival of the game was timely. While international travel plans have been disrupted for the foreseeable future, Americans experiencing wanderlust can explore vicariously through their avatars. And not only does its appeal extend across pop culture – celebrity fans include Lil Nas X, Brie Larson, and Chrissy Tiegen – but it’s also about as competitive as 

, in which winners receive no prize money, contributing to a collaborative atmosphere among contestants. 

 At a time of self-isolation, the game has become an invaluable platform for creative expression and remote connection.

While some Americans are lounging on virtual beaches with rabbits and squirrels, others are processing feelings of impending doom by immersing themselves in media that’s more reminiscent of the current state, as evidenced by the renewed popularity of 2011 film 

. Though the title is not available on most popular streaming sites in the US, people aren’t letting this get in the way of their viewing pleasure. According to data gathered by The Verge and TorrentFreak, downloads of 

 spiked from a few hundred per day to more than 1,500 on January 25, and then to more than 18,000 on January 29, the day that President Trump established the White House Coronavirus Task Force. 

Our virtual worlds provide some much-needed respite from the crisis

Too much screen-time has previously been looked down upon, but the same rules don’t apply in a pandemic, when logging on to the web is about as social as people can get. Brands are leaning into this by promoting consumer engagement through virtual challenges. Alexander McQueen, for example, has launched the 

, which encourages people to make digital art based on materials provided by the fashion label. 

 from the luxury brand have included ‘create a three-dimensional flower using any material you can find in your own home’ and ‘sketch the Autumn/Winter 2019 Rose dress with us’. Participants are asked to share their creations on social media, and since launching at the start of April, more than 18,000 works have been submitted via the 

Elsewhere on the web, Facebook groups are morphing into makeshift communities, offering emotional support as individuals with common traits band together. These groups range from the highly specific (e.g. 

New York based Dentists dealing with Coronavirus

LGBTQ+ Tucson Give Help/Get Help – COVID-19 Community Response

LIVE UPDATE Coronavirus covid-19 NYC NEW YORK CITY Quarantine Lockdown

MAMAS – Mutual Aid Medford & Somerville

, a Massachusetts-based group complete with a 

 encouraging neighbors to form ‘pods’ – groups of up to 30 living on a particular street or in close confines – and providing instructions on how to keep communication flowing between members. 

 And in a sharp turn from providing coping mechanisms, one wildly popular

 is encouraging hundreds of thousands of people to take refuge in escapism by 

The rapid spread of coronavirus around the world was followed by the equally rapid spread of coronavirus-themed memes. Yet these humorous reflections of everyday life are no indication of how seriously their creators are taking the virus. Rather, memes play the dual role of providing comic relief and connectivity, being that they’re typically humorous and inherently social. For example, in the week leading up to March 22, the most well-liked and retweeted

 on Twitter wasn’t a somber message about the state of the world but a nine-second clip of a man using a sock puppet to pretend to eat cars passing by his window. 

 While the video’s creator may not have had healing in mind, experts at the Mayo Clinic agree that laughter has both short- and long-term benefits on both mental and physical health – a much-needed boost to the immune system being among them. 

Social channels are fostering feelings of creativity and connectivity

As Americans become reliant on the media for up-to-date information, stress about fake news is mounting. Although the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that 57% of people believe the media they use is full of untrustworthy information, brands have the power to create a sense of security and trust. For instance, Indian start-up MetaFact is harnessing AI to detect fake news, while Positive News has long taken a person-centered approach. 

 Wood explains how the publication, organized as co-operative that’s owned by more than 1,500 readers in 33 countries, is part of a shift “from a more singular, authoritative voice that says how things are, towards a more two-way relationship between different outlets and different communities of people who share values and who share world-views. The old media very much represented a concentration of power or a singular narrative, whereas now people want to connect with media organizations in a way where their individual power is respected.” 

 In this light, the representation and power of an audience can be key factors in determining a reader’s decision to come back.

With no cure or vaccine in sight just yet, humor is a crucial outlet for Americans battling coronavirus-induced stress. Not only is laughing beneficial to one’s wellbeing, but a study published in the 

 highlighted “the central role of nonverbal communication and laughter in modulating interpersonal bonds and making large social networks possible.” 

 (short for Working From Home Fits) for more than 23,000 followers to see or sharing 

 to TikTok, people can simultaneously improve their moods and feel more connected to their peers.

Relatable content translates the incomprehensible

People are looking to the media to make this so-called ‘unprecedented time’ more relatable. When it comes to fictional media – film, TV, video games, podcasts, and the like – Hallin makes an argument for the relatability of apocalyptic themes. “Consuming fiction that has some relevance to what [people are] actually living through might be a way of processing their experience and comparing it,” he says. “Even just thinking, ‘well, in what ways is it right, and in what ways is it wrong?’” 

 Journalistic media, on the other hand, is taking a micro approach. Slate’s ‘

’ convey the lived experiences of readers, turning the focus from politicians and epidemiologists to a more relatable group – fellow Americans.

'US leads in the worldwide anxiety epidemic', Psychology Today

'New poll: COVID-19 impacting mental well-being: Americans feeling anxious, especially for loved ones; older adults are less anxious', American Psychiatric Association

'The coronavirus' toll on our mental and emotional health', Axios

‘Stress in America 2019’, American Psychological Association

'News programs see ratings soar during coronavirus pandemic', MarketWatch

'The media exaggerates negative news. This distortion has consequences', The Guardian

'People want to hear from brands during the pandemic', PR Week

Interview with Seán Dagan Wood conducted by the author

'It’s not just you. Everybody is reading the news more because of coronavirus', Vox

Interview with Daniel Hallin conducted by the author

'More Americans are getting their news from social media', Forbes

'Facebook says more people are watching live videos amid coronavirus crisis', CNET

'Americans are wary of the role social media sites play in delivering the news', Pew Research Center

'Twitter to remove harmful fake news about coronavirus', The Guardian

'Animal Crossing is letting people live out their wildest fantasy: Normalcy', CNN

'Animal Crossing is here to unite us all as we socially distance ourselves', MTV

'Contagion shows the lengths people go to watch a movie they can’t stream', The Verge

'Amid social distancing, neighbors mobilize over Facebook', Wired

'The most popular tweet this week is the comedic relief we all need from coronavirus news', Forbes

'Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke', Mayo Clinic

'Americans seek clarity on virus amid fake news', Canvas8

'Social laughter triggers endogenous opioid release in humans', The Journal of Neuroscience

At a time when fake news has become more dangerous and ubiquitous than ever, America has found itself an unlikely hero in the figure of immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci. During White House briefings, the doctor is often relied upon to counter uninformed assertions by President Donald Trump – for example, that a vaccine for the virus is nearing availability or that people may be able to cure themselves of the coronavirus by drinking bleach. 

Indeed, since the COVID-19 briefings began, the doctor has become a major media force because of his sage advice and straightforward approach – which perhaps surprises nobody more than Dr. Fauci himself, who has held the position of director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. 

 The Fauci fandom has seen itself manifest in ways not unlike celeb worship – Tony Mastrangelo, a Fauci fanboy, drove three hours to purchase a dozen ‘Fauci donuts’ 

. On Twitter, the more than 25,000-strong 

 is sharing humorous and uplifting messages. Fauci merchandise quickly followed. There are ‘St. Fauci’ prayer candles, bumper stickers, ‘In Dr. Fauci We Trust’ t-shirts, and even mock jerseys that display Fauci’s team number from when he played basketball at Regis High School in the 1950s. 

In a polarised society, Dr. Fauci has proven popular across party lines – a YouGov poll shows that among those who have seen or heard of him, 85% of Democrats and 84% of Republicans rate his performance as either good or excellent. 

 In an era known for the ‘death of expertise’, Fauci’s fame is, perhaps paradoxically, grounded in it. 

 But does Dr. Fauci’s sudden popularity come directly from this expertise, or is it merely a byproduct of it? Either way, one thing is certain: we’re looking for figures we can trust. Will our veneration of informed expertise continue in a post-pandemic world?

Social platforms are rife with Dr. Fauci fan accounts

It’s no secret that both public and private trust have been on the decline – 57% of people globally believe the government only serves the needs of the few. 

 The implications of this loss of trust are easy enough to spot – even as COVID-19 infections top one million in the US with 60,000 reported dead, 13% of Americans believe the pandemic is a hoax. 

For Dr. Jim Houran, a psychologist who studies fame and celebrity worship, the rising popularity of Dr. Fauci speaks to a return to the idolatry that existed before the celebrity era. “Before there was an entertainment industry per se, celebrities were successful hunters, effective healers or captivating religious leaders, famous soldiers, and other types of individuals who stood out in society in a positive way.” 

 The Fauci fandom speaks to a desire for leadership that’s markedly different from ‘influencer culture’. And with 75% of liberals and 80% of conservatives placing trust in the CDC to address COVID-19, when it comes to matters of public health, people look to the advice of doctors and scientific bodies. 

 This growing deference to medical professionals has potential implications beyond the pandemic as beauty and home brands would be wise to push science-backed messaging to retain customer loyalty and trust.

The cultural commodification of Dr. Fauci also reflects the changing ways that people are expressing their 

 and engaging with politics. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a left-leaning Supreme Court Justice, has been known by her fans as the Notorious R.B.G. since 2013 when a popular Tumblr blog memeified the judge. 

 “Celebrity worship is about the need for fulfilling relationships,” Dr. Houran said. “An admiration and apparent connection with a favorite celebrity can help to fill the needs for identity, purpose, and a sense of understanding.” 

Dr. Fauci’s ability to speak across platforms and audiences has, as Robert Armstrong writes in the

, “made him a television star. He is a master of anti-style style.” 

 And with only 13% of Americans trusting the media ‘a great deal’, appearing on non-traditional media outlets helps with exposure – especially considering younger generations are more interested in interacting through apps like Instagram and 

 Across March and April 2020, the physician hung out with NBA player Steph Curry on his Instagram feed and even appeared as a guest on HBO’s 

 Similar strategies have worked for podcast host Joe Rogan, whose 

 enables him to cultivate a diverse fanbase. “Dr. Fauci’s intense media exposure at press briefings and news interviews reinforces both his social familiarity and medical authority,” explains Dr. Houran. 

A desire for new leaders to tackle the challenges of a post-pandemic world

, so when it comes to tackling more serious or challenging topics – whether that’s health, debt, unemployment, or any other issue – people appreciate Fauci’s ability to not only command their attention but inspire them to actively engage with his messaging. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez connects with people by sharing parts of her daily life on her Instagram stories. 

 With 70% of 13- to 17-year-old Americans reporting that depression and anxiety are major problems among their peers, a new kind of leadership that enables the experience of the pandemic to be processed together is likely to make a positive impact. 

Dr. Fauci’s approach is also a lesson in the need to keep technical talk clear and simple. Rather than merely addressing the more traditional outlets, he is also appearing on more accessible platforms that help to deliver his expertise in a digestible way. This move helps to counter the 

 around the coronavirus, and persuade people to trust science rather than seek out alternative sources of information – especially when they want clarity and are looking for someone to 

. This is a learning already being successfully applied across sectors. Whether its 

, simplifying complex jargon is one of the easiest ways to appeal to younger generations.

‘The Makers of Lysol Had to Issue a Warning Against Drinking Bleach After Trump Said it Might Cure Coronavirus’, VICE

‘Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Director’, NIAID

‘Fauci socks, Fauci doughnuts, Fauci fan art: The coronavirus expert attracts a cult following’, Washington Post

‘Fauci impresses Republicans and Democrats’, YouGov

‘“The Death of Expertise” Explores How Ignorance Became a Virtue’, The New York Times

‘2020 Edelman Trust Barometer’, Edelman

‘Coronavirus updates: U.S. death toll tops 60,000 as labs race for a vaccine’, CBS News

‘The Economist/YouGov Poll’, YouGov

Interview with Dr. Jim Houran conducted by the author

‘Americans still trust doctors and scientists during a public health crisis’, The Conversation

‘In Dr. Fauci We Stan’, The Verge

‘Dr Fauci, the master of anti-style style’, Financial Times

‘Americans' Trust in Mass Media Edges Down to 41%’, Gallup

‘“Go Everywhere”: How Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Media Strategy Is Revolutionizing Coronavirus Messaging’, Vanity Fair

‘Trump has Twitter. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is winning Instagram’, Fast Company

‘Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety, Depression as Major Problems’, Pew Research Center

In a crisis event, one thing people do is engage in sense-making – seeking out facts and coming up with explanations.

RETURN TO EXPERTISE

Stuck indoors and grappling with a constantly-evolving crisis, people are rapidly consuming news to piece together a disordered world. But their media habits are being shaped by their circumstances, and amid widespread disinformation around the virus, they’re relying on legacy outlets for consistent, factual updates.