“Asocial” Virus in the Social World: A Comparative Study of the Internet Usage and Psychological States before and during COVID-19 Pandemic

Pages: 304-309
Rumana Sanam and Roomana N. Siddiqui (Department of Psychology, Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh)

The study aims to find out the changes in internet usage mainly screen time and online activities, health information seeking behavior and various psychological states during COVID-19. The sample consists of 300 participants. The age range is 15-62 year, mean age is 27.41. The study was conducted during the nationwide lockdown in India. The data was analyzed with t-test and percentage difference analysis. The present study suggests that there has been an increase of screen time which indicates towards sedentary lifestyle. Preference to use internet to carry day to day work has increased including its use for variety of purposes. Increase in anxiety and depression during the pandemic was found. The findings suggest that there is a need for educating people about maintaining healthy lifestyle and avoiding sedentary behavior. There is also need for psycho educating people and provide them with mental health services.