© 2026 ABC News

Nobody is saying that COVID-19 doesn't pose a hazard and common sense precautions shouldn't be taken, especially with the elderly... but the media is reacting as if we are actually living in that Steven Soderbergh Contagion movie, which is far from the case.#coronavirus

— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) March 13, 2020

According to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, two-thirds of Americans are anxious that they or someone they know could get infected with the virus -- with increasing fears of being quarantined.

After \"#QuarantineandChill\" began trending on Twitter, some people started sharing binge-worthy movies to watch while isolated -- all of which were related to disaster storylines.

Movie list #QuarantineAndChill Edition

Dawn of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
The Crazies
This is the End
Zombieland (1 & 2)
I am Legend
World war Z
28 days later
28 weeks later
Warmbodies
Resident Evil (any of them)
Bird Box
The Happening

— Born Again Hooligan🍥 (@Eminor7b5) March 13, 2020

Some also made references to the movie \"Jumanji.\"

\"Whoever started this game at the beginning of 2020 please finish it quickly,\" one user wrote, with a photo of a Jumanji game board.

Whoever started this game at the beginning of 2020, please finish it quickly.#Covid_19 #coronavirus #coronapocalypse pic.twitter.com/HlUv0y0QVC

— David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) March 13, 2020

Other's described the chaos surrounding COVID-19 almost as if it's the plot of the next \"dystopian movie.\"

One critic tweeted, \"We’re literally living in a dystopian hellscape. A pandemic has broken out.\"

They added, \"There’s no access to vaccines to cure them, and governments are refusing to listen to the needs of people, nor are they making treatment accessible.\"

2020 got me feeling like I’m living in a movie. Straight up zombie land pic.twitter.com/3shWQNnpB6

— Max Guerra (@mguerr12) March 12, 2020

People have been rushing to supermarkets to buy essentials in bulk and social media users have expressed their concerns with \"panic buying\" in reaction to the pandemic.

One critic of those who have stocked up on items said, \"I am terrified of panicked masses hoarding supplies. Take what you need but nothing more.\"

\"Panic buying leaves the elderly and immunocompromised even more at risk,\" they tweeted. \"All actions have consequences.\"

I'm not scared of COVID-19, I am concerned, but not scared.
However, I am terrified of panicked masses hoarding supplies. Take what you need but nothing more. #PanicBuying leaves the elderly and immunocompromised even more at risk. All actions have consequences. Choose wisely. pic.twitter.com/jqrHtvC3K6

— Brandi Hayes (@Bhayes_603) March 13, 2020

with everyone taking all the toilet paper, i'm gonna have to stock up on these adult diapers instead. #coronapocalypse #panicbuying pic.twitter.com/e5KOrRVgNS

— Cindy (@dearcindyphan) March 13, 2020

Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!

They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!
https://t.co/UxZRwxxKL9

— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) February 29, 2020

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends lathering, scrubbing and washing hands for at least 20 seconds -- or the equivalent of singing \"Happy Birthday\" twice.

Disco legend Gloria Gaynor also took to social media in response, singing her 1978 hit song \"I Will Survive\" on TikTok but with an added twist , using it as an opportunity to inform her followers how to wash their hands effectively amid the outbreak.

Gaynor wrote, \"It only takes 20 seconds to SURVIVE!\"

Tune into ABC News Live at noon ET every weekday for the latest news, context and analysis on the novel coronavirus, with the full ABC News team where we will try to answer your questions about the virus.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/coronavirus-pandemic-viral-age-social-media-sparking-anxiety/story?id=69580796","legacySlug":"/news/story/coronavirus-pandemic-viral-age-social-media-sparking-anxiety-69580796","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"22:01","publishDate":"03-13-2020","updatedTime":"00:09","updatedDate":"03-15-2020","socialImage":{"alt":"Mike Lemcke, from Richmond, Va., sits in an empty Greensboro Coliseum after the NCAA college basketball games were canceled at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., in response to the spread of the coronavirus, March 12, 2020. ","credit":"Ben Mckeown/AP, FILE","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/coronavirus-ncaa-ap-rc-200313_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"3/13/2020 22:01:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":69580796,"headline":"Coronavirus goes viral in the age of social media","mediaAssetTitle":"CORONAVIRUS/SOCIAL MEDIA","description":"\"Anxiety spreads faster than the virus,\" a professor told ABC News.","duration":"2:28","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/03/200310_vod_orig_coronavirus_explainer_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132488083","132306053","132266872"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 29, 2026","headline":"Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","section":"News","slug":"/video/132488083","id":"132488083","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Coronavirus goes viral in the age of social media","description":"\"Anxiety spreads faster than the virus,\" a professor told ABC News.","duration":"2:28","uploadDate":"03-13-2020","publication":"03-13-2020","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/03/200310_vod_orig_coronavirus_explainer_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/03/200310_vod_orig_coronavirus_explainer_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/coronavirus-pandemic-viral-age-social-media-sparking-anxiety-69580796"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132510121","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132473181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132497933","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Coronavirus goes viral in the age of social media","pubTime":"18:01","pubDate":"03-13-2020","modTime":"20:09","modDate":"03-14-2020","taxonomyTags":"none","id":69580796,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Coronavirus goes viral in the age of social media","mediaAssetTitle":"CORONAVIRUS/SOCIAL MEDIA","videoId":69580796,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/coronavirus-pandemic-viral-age-social-media-sparking-anxiety-69580796"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/69580796","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/69580796","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};