We write this essay as a starting point, raising questions and calling for further research to be conducted to inform the understanding of SMIs’ role and potential as conveyors of public health information. We further suggest that while a handful of governments and health organisations have recognised the reach and social capital of SMIs, their potential in health communication has been underutilised. However, we suggest that brands and influencers themselves have pivoted to meet the COVID challenge, with some brands exploiting the opaque influence of these micro-celebrities. Worldwide it first appeared that the global pandemic would severely impact SMI sole traders, as income from travel, luxury goods and other ‘lifestyle’ brands dried up. This article examines the role of influencers during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the impact of the global pandemic on Social Media Influencers’ (SMIs) lifestyle and business model, using the concept of Disaster Capitalism as a springboard for discussion. Furthermore, this study reveals a correlation between the responses of the sample and their demographic and social characteristics, something that offers possibilities for additional research. Findings indicate that students come to a meeting of minds about the educational inequalities which are worsened by the lack of digital equipment and undeveloped technological infrastructure. The consensus is also that remote learning has abased pedagogical relationships between professors and classmates and among the latter as well. The data that was collected by using a 5-point Likert scale reflects the strong agreement of the students that face-to-face teaching cannot be replaced by distance learning, especially when it comes to laboratory training. Under the current circumstances this quantitative research detects, describes, and measures attitudes of 807 students of 5 Greek universities towards the distance learning process. Whereas to face this unprecedented situation all the educational institutions were compelled to keep the lessons conducted over the internet. Undoubtedly the pandemic of COVID-19 had a great impact globally on our daily activities. As a critical finding of this study, we can present the successful adaptation of Generation Z to emergency distance learning and teaching and, at the same time, the possible weakness of Millennials in a similar case. ![]() We will proceed with a comparative approach of the two samples to clarify our goal. Regarding the Millennials, the 2010 sample includes 55 students who studied in the same department and University as the 2020 sample participants. More specifically, 145 students participated, and sampling was carried out between March and May 2020. The sample of the survey includes future teachers-undergraduate students of the Department of Education Sciences and Social Work of the University of Patras. More concretely, our research is implemented using techniques from the multi-method approach toolkit-as research data collection tools, the questionnaire and the semi-structured interview were used. This is the main reason that the sample was selected from the university student population. ![]() Its significance is also enhanced by the fact that according to recent research generation Z, young students currently in the amphitheater, and subsequently future teachers (undergraduate students studying in education sciences) are particularly familiar and well prepared for the use of new technologies. Another question that this paper aims to answer is whether Millennials could cope with a similar situation and engage in emergency learning and teaching, such as Generation Z-according to the results of this study. ![]() The present study aims to contribute to the discussion on the measures taken and amended at regular intervals regarding the provisions of emergency distance learning and teaching and how they deal with this hybrid process in Higher Education during the pandemic. Τhe question that arises concerns the reasons for the use of social media during the pandemic, as well as the contribution to the public sphere. The result of the successive processes that were taking place was the use of different social media as tools, in order to carry out the educational process, which had the students of the Universities. Due to the pandemic and the extensive liquidity, social media and emergency distance learning and teaching became entrenched. This study focuses on the pandemic period, during which the relationship between social media and education appears to have been redefined.
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