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Last April, states began to sporadically reopen after weeks of being shut down. South Carolina was among the first to begin the process and some others would soon follow, while some states wouldn\\u2019t start until June. The uncoordinated reopening caused chaos, according to Sinan Aral, director of MIT\\u2019s Initiative on the Digital Economy. As people watched their social feeds fill with images of people heading back outside, they stepped out too \\u2014 even if their state wasn\\u2019t at the same phase.

Aral, author of \\u201cThe Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health \\u2014 and How We Must Adapt,\\u201d has used social media as a tool to gain insight into everything from COVID-19 reopenings to protests and politics.