As we start distancing ourselves from one another, we are spending more and more time online.

We are listening to concerts on Facebook Live, or playing games on Twitter such as guessing the movie via emojis, or attending mass meditation sessions on Instagram, or searching for coronavirus-related answers on Google.

Twitter says it has seen a boost in the number of active users on the microblogging site, even as advertising sales fall. Facebook is experiencing increased traffic on its messaging services such as Messenger and WhatsApp as more people use group voice and video calls to stay in touch.

In a blog on March 24, Facebook said that in Italy, one of the hardest-hit countries, users spent 70 per cent more time across its apps over the last month.

Instagram and Facebook Live views doubled in a week.

Indeed, the surge in online traffic has led to a slower Internet in some countries as people stay in, noted a New York Times article last week. Some of these people are busy seeking answers to coronavirus-related questions.

Google has seen searches for "how to make hand sanitiser" grow by 4,950 per cent worldwide from Feb 24 to March 22, and searches for "can you get coronavirus twice" grow by 600 per cent.

The Think With Google research into insights and trends on the search engine also found that searches for "grocery delivery service near me" too, have gone up 200 per cent globally.

In Singapore, some trending queries on Google include "when will the coronavirus end", "how Italy got the coronavirus", "Tom Hanks coronavirus" and of course, "Covid-19 virus Singapore cases".

The Straits Times too, receives several virus-related queries daily on topics ranging from social distancing and leave of absence to masks and travel restrictions in the AskST inbox. If you have a question on the pandemic, you can e-mail us at askst@sph.com.sg.

Quite a number of the queries are about suspected fake news or scams surrounding the outbreak, which our reporters help to pin down. Some recent queries include whether it is possible to contract the coronavirus from swimming and if it can be spread by sweat, or via activities such as singing.

Misinformation is a huge concern. In an e-mail to subscribers on March 25, independent fact-checking website Snopes.com said it was seeing record traffic as people wrote in to find out more about the coronavirus.

Some of the fake news it has debunked include: Did Russia release 500 lions to enforce Covid-19 lockdown? And whether breathing hot air from a hairdryer could cure a person of the infection.

As we stay in and online, we may have more and more questions about the situation we are in now. Ask all you need, but believe only the verified news sources.

WHEN THIS IS OVER

If some are asking when the coronavirus will end, there are others busy planning what to do when this is over.

"When this is all over, all I want to do is hug every single one of my friends. I miss people so much, like I never thought I could," Twitter user Seunte @Seunte tweeted.

Others have a party on their mind.

Twitter user Bonita @bonitazarelli posted: "Everyone: Do not and I repeat!!! Do not leave your home - Do not form huge crowds !! Also, everyone: when this is all over, everyone in the whole world should meet up and party, forming a huge crowd."

Show gratitude, be thankful is the suggestion by some. Twitter user Nicola @EmeryNicola wrote: "#StayAtHomeSaveLives and when this is all over, we can have a worldwide visual to remember the lives lost and come together to celebrate those who saved lives."

CBC Saskatchewan @CBCSask said: "Despite the chaos, stress and glitter, I know I'll miss my kids being home when this is over."

Wacky Apple @WackyApple posted: "Dreaming of family picnics at the beach with all of our favourite people. When this is over, may we never take for granted those family picnics, birthday parties, a meet-up with a friend, a day at the beach, a warm hug with a grandparent, or a simple trip to the grocery store."

Others had more basic concerns. Twitter user jordan @JordanTOlson, for instance, wondered if he would remember where he parked his car before the lockdown. "How am I going to find my car in the parking garage when this is all over?"

Then there are those who have given personal grooming a miss in favour of physical distancing and staying in.

"I dread to think what I'm going to look like when this is over. I've already let myself go, might fake tan and make myself feel better," tweeted Hevs @Heavenleerx.

Perhaps Twitter user MPE Davies @mpedavies has the best suggestion: "When this is all over, I'm going to take two weeks off and do nothing except flop on the sofa watching telly and eating milk chocolate Hobnobs."

One does need time off to recover from the anxiety the virus has brought with it.