Friday the 13th: Social Media Jumps Into 'Panic' Mode Amid Coronavirus, Canceled Events and Stock Market Lows

Michael Hein

03/14/2020 02:57 pm EDT

Friday was an eerie day for the superstitious, as a confluence of bad news stories landed right on Friday the 13th. The supposedly unlucky day saw new developments in the coronavirus pandemic, newly canceled events and huge dips in the stock market. Overall, social media seemed to be in panic mode.

Friday, March 13 may well go down as one of the most unlucky instances of Friday the 13th in a while. The day is considered bad luck whenever it comes up on the calendar, but this month it was easy to see why. Among the top stories were many related to the coronavirus, now classified as a worldwide pandemic.

In response to the spread of coronavirus — also known as COVID-19 — President Donald Trump declared a station of emergency in the U.S. on Friday. The new measure set the tone for a day that was already full of fearful updates, from new cases to community transmissions and dire predictiosn for what comes next.

Of course, on a practical level, people were also left disappointed by the cancellation of many large-scale events. That includes concerts, festivals and conventions throughout the summer, many of which have not been postponed or dropped altogether.

Meanwhile, the stock market continued to take sharp drops on Friday, with economies around the world slowing down. Social media was full of anecdotes from business owners, considering layoffs in the service industry amid the virus' spread.

There is one more Friday the 13th coming up on the calendar in 2020 — the second week in November. By then, the news cycle will undoubtedly include the results of the presidential election, updates on the coronavirus outbreak and likely some news about the TV season, as many productions have been halted to keep the casts and crews safe from the illness. With any luck, the news will be less ominous than it has been this week.

All-in-all, it was easy to understand why Friday the 13th had so many people on edge this month. Here is a look at how social media handled Friday the 13th on top of everything else this week.

'Survival Mode'

Many people discussed an ominous feeling in the air, both in public and online. They said that people seemed to be in "survival mode" or panicking, and they were nervously imagining how thing could get even worse.

Movie Comparisons

People online proved this week that life imitates art, comparing the confluence of frightening headlines on Friday the 13th with the events of movies where similar events had occurred. If this week's events were depicted on-screen, some people said they would hardly believe them.

Snow

Those looking for one more grim story as the cherry on top of their Friday the 13th needed to look no further than the northwest, where a thin coating of spring snow fell on Portland, Oregon. While not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, it was the final straw for many residents, who felt that absolutely nothing would go right for them now.

'Jumanji'

All week, people on Twitter have been joking that these mounting catastrophes must be the result of an ongoing game of Jumanji. In light of the superstitious element of Friday the 13th, some people brought it back around.

Jason Voorhees' Shopping List

As always, Friday the 13th drew out some creative jokes centered around the Friday the 13th film franchise. With many people afraid that they will not be able to get supplies in the coming months, toilet paper has become a scarce commodity in some areas, and one Twitter user joked that Jason Voorhees himself must be hoarding it.

Quarantine

Speaking of Jason Voorhees, stuntman and actor Derek Mears — who played Voorhees in the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot — had a frightening message for those trying to stay inside during the coronavirus outbreak. As any horror movie fan knows, time alone in a secluded house is not necessarily safe.

Hygeine

Finally, there were many out there who would put up with any bad luck on Friday the 13th as long as they could keep clean. WWE wrestler Noelle Foley even joked that she would face Jason Voorhees himself — as long as he wore a mask over his mask.

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