Studies in Media and Communication Vol. 11, No. 3; 2023, Special Issue ISSN: 2325-8071 E-ISSN: 2325-808X Published by Redfame Publishing URL: http://smc.redfame.com 79 Why New Media app during the Healthcare Crisis? WhatsApp Based Study Muhammad Noor Al Adwan 1 , Amjad Safori 2 , Mohammed Habes 3 , Sana Ali 4 1 College of Mass Communication & media- Al Ain University, P.O. Box: 112612, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Email: muhammadnoor.aladwan@aau.ac.ae 2 Faculty of Media, Journalism & Digital Media Department, Zarqa University, Jordan. Email: asafori@zu.edu.jo 3 Faculty of Mass Communication, Radio & TV Department, Yarmouk University, Jordan. Email: mohammad.habes@yu.edu.jo 4 Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, Pakistan. Email: sana_leo1990@hotmail.com Correspondence: Amjad Safori, Faculty of Media, Journalism & Digital Media Department, Zarqa University, Jordan. Received: November 25, 2022 Accepted: February 26, 2023 Online Published: March 9, 2023 doi:10.11114/smc.v11i3.5985 URL: https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v11i3.5985 Abstract WhatsApp is one of the most popular mobile applications providing instant messaging and ease of access. It uses web-based systems to send and receive texts, calls, and videos and even offers video chat. However, during the current healthcare crisis, WhatsApp's role is comparatively more prominent and needs more consideration. In this context, we conducted this research to examine the factors motivating students to rely more on WhatsApp during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the Uses and Gratifications Approach, we adopted a cross-sectional design and gathered data from university students in Islamabad, Pakistan. Findings from n= 302 university-level students affirmed communication (p≥ .000), learning (p≥ .002), Teamwork (p≥ .041), and information sharing (p≥ .000) as the motivating factors behind increased WhatsApp usage (p≥ .011) during the healthcare crisis. Similarly, path analysis results also validated a strong correlation between the variables, further affirming the strength of the proposed conceptual framework. Thus, WhatsApp not only provided ease of communication during Covid-19 but also helped sustain educational activities. Here we recommend more studies to examine other different factors, especially personality factors that can affect one's WhatsApp usage. Keywords: Covid-19, WhatsApp, social media, wireless communication, education, mobile application 1. Introduction Covid-19, as a significant crisis, challenged financial and healthcare services; also affected other daily social life activities. Today, billions of people are confined inside the four walls of their homes, trying to sustain their daily activities, and cope with the increased healthcare challenges (Ali and Khalid 2020). Similarly, the impacts of Covid-19 on educational activities are also hindered, raising immense challenges for both instructors and students. Globally due to the sudden closure of educational institutions and lockdown, a majority of institutions began to look for favorable substitutes. Even teachers also showed increased consideration, as the main concern was to resume the academic journal in a better possible manner (Shahzad et al. 2020). For this purpose, educational stakeholders and policymakers started brainstorming about the possible resource to sustain the educational activities. Now, it was time to take the underrepresented and debatable role of Computers and Information Communication Technology under serious consideration. (Elareshi et al. 2022)After much debate and consideration, educational institutions eventually agreed to adopt an instant transition from their conventional educational system. As a result, Covid-19 has become a factor behind Digital Learning adoption and dependency among students and institutions ( Abu-Hudra and Mohamed, 2022; Conto, Akseer, and Dreesen 2020). An increased ICT adoption and integration in learning not only helped to sustain educational activities; but also, remarkably increased the supply and demand of ICT equipment, goods, and services both in educational institutions and on the domestic level (Nikdel Teymori and Fardin 2020). Here it is also notable that, besides the greater adoption from ICT users such as institutions, instructors, and students, manufacturers, and services providers also experienced a rapid boom in sales, demanding improved services.