Anomie and moral panic in Swedish social media during the COVID-19 Crisis

In spring 2020 global action was taken to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, such as for examples restrictions regarding spending time outside of your home and in several countries, periods of mandatory quarantine. Sweden’s method of handling the pandemic has stood out among other European nations and the tactic of relying on citizens’ sense of civic solidarity, rather than enforcing legal restrictions preventing people to spend time outside, has drawn much attention in national and international news media. This situation has entailed a moral dilemma concerning the proper conduct of behaviour in everyday situations in Sweden, which is also reflected in public news media and social media. Public discourses of caring, social responsivity, and personal responsibility have been prevalent. This media study focuses on moral dilemmas discussed in Swedish public news media, as well as comments in social media forums expressing outrage and anger regarding the conduct and behaviour of citizens. The
public response to the actions and behaviour of public media figures (such as celebrities, journalists, and bloggers) is also analysed. The findings suggest that social media is used to handle such ambiguities and make sense of the loosely defined norms of civic solidarity. Drawing on sociological perspectives on morality, anomie, and moral panic, the study identifies ambiguities of moral disagreements and ways of expressing that a moral norm has been violated. Implications of future considerations and media responses to civic solidarity and
morality are also discussed.