Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the way people in a collectivist culture, particularly Egyptians, define social isolation and to understand the effect of social isolation on maintaining traditional networks of social relations.
Design/methodology/approach
To do this, online ethnographic semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposeful sample of non-infected Egyptians who have access to social media networks.
Findings
Although collectivism may be perceived as a risk factor in developing countries, it has positive effects on reducing the spread of COVID-19 among Egyptians through the preventive measures it entails. Increased fear, worries and anxiety about the family and in-group members is a limiting factor against the prevalence of the disease, despite the emotional hardships experienced by individuals.
Research limitations/implications
The sample interviewed does not refer to the entire Egyptian population, since the number of social media users represents 43.5% of Egyptians. Therefore, generalization of research data may be problematic.
Practical implications
The paper aims to raise awareness of the important of stressing collectivist character traits since they can help develop more preventive measures against the spread of the disease. Research findings also indicate that there is a need to coexist with the disease under controlled conditions to lessen the psychological risks of social isolation.
Originality/value
In light of the paucity of research carried out on COVID-19, the present research provides a pioneering insight into the meaning of social isolation in a collectivist culture and the distinctive local methods adopted by people to maintain their networks of social relations.
