MANILA -- Memes are exchanged in millions of online conversations during the COVID-19 lockdown, showing how humor helps Filipinos cope during times of uncertainty, a study showed.

There were over 43 million total conversations on social media in the Philippines from March 15 to March 23 or during the start of the Luzon lockdown to contain COVID-19, a Dentsu Aegis Network report showed.

Confusion, political opinion, frontliner support, coping, distractions, health and wellness, and food were among the top conversations in social media platforms, said Dentsu Aegis Network head of social Jim Guzman.

Memes are a "testament to the indestructible Filipino spirit," Guzman said. "We use humor to diffuse conflict and survive tough times."

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Brands responded to the high social media traffic with engaging posts, Dentsu said.

With focus on social media, fake news, especially those leveraging on COVID-19 are also lurking. Various organizations including Facebook, Google and Viber have launched programs to protect consumers from COVID-19 scams.

The entire island of Luzon, home to half of the country’s 100 million population, was placed under lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. Metro Manila and other high risk areas remain under such measure until May 15.

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