Unravelling the Web: The Internet’s Double-Edged Impact on COVID-19 Dynamics

The intricate relationship between Internet access, freedom, and the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic remains a crucial topic, important both for understanding what happened and for improving the response to future crises. This study investigates the impact of the share of Internet users, and its relationship with Internet freedom, on the COVID-19 transmission rate, addressing research questions regarding the interplay between these factors. Analyzing a panel dataset of 60 countries during the first wave, hybrid F-GLS models reveal that an increased number of Internet users correlates with a larger number of new daily COVID-19 cases. Conversely, the interaction between Internet users and net freedom attenuates the positive relationship between users and case counts, implying that the latter has a moderating role. These findings emphasize the multifaceted nature of the Internet’s influence on pandemic dynamics, and highlight how it acts both as a facilitator and a constraint.