How has Digital Behaviour Changed Since Covid-19?

Nine months in and Covid19 has changed the way we do everything!

It’s been a tough adjustment but we have made it so far. 

We’re fine, we promise. 

One of the main reasons why we are doing fine is technology, and more specifically digital media. 

Poking and double hearting isn’t all we do online anymore. 

Over the years digital media has evolved to a level where we can imitate real life connections and conversations with eerie detail. 

It was found that areas with lockdowns experienced a dramatic spike in digital consumption, to the point where over 80% of US citizens admit to consuming more digital media on TV and online than they ever did before. 

Let’s take a look at how our digital consumption patterns have changed since the global pandemic. 

How has Our Digital Behaviour Changed Since Covid-19?

Formation of Online Communities

Tough times urge us to lean on others for support. Groups and online communities were considered dead for a while. But a Guardian report found over 300 Coronavirus support groups have emerged recently, whose members total over a million people. More and more people are joining communities to stay engaged and entertained during this time. 

Socialization

The one thing we have been missing the most is hanging out  and connecting with our friends and family. This is probably why one of the major areas of digital usage is video calling. We may not be able to meet each other in person but thanks to high-speed Wifi we are able to connect with our loved ones in real time.  Birthday parties and Saturday Night Pub Crawls have been replaced with Zoom parties and Netflix parties, and we can honestly admit, it’s the only thing that’s been keeping us going. 

Active Participation

During the first phases of the pandemic and lockdown, we were all bored in the house and in the house bored. Everything that was routine to us was cancelled. Humans are highly adaptable creatures, so we started  to create our own routines and activities. If you are an active internet citizen you must have noticed the slew of trends and challenges that popped up on the internet. It was either that, cooking videos or trying to make it on Tik Tok. Remember Dalgona Coffee?

Social Media Usage
Social media consumption reached astronomical levels this year. Have you ever heard of ‘Doom-scrolling?’ It’s when people read through a long stream of negative headlines on social media. Sound familiar?

During a crisis people want to be informed, which perfectly explains why according to the Global Web Index (https://blog.globalwebindex.com/chart-of-the-week/social-media-amid-the-outbreak/ ), 36% of global social media users say that the major reason for logging in to social media is to get news updates. Other reasons for using social media include entertainment, comfort and creating content. 

Verification of Fake News

There has been a 46% spike in visitors to news websites since the global pandemic hit. But people have gotten smarter and more sensitive about what they believe too. With all the misinformation and fake news that led people to a frenzy in the early stages of the pandemic, digital users are now choosing to consume content from verified sources and fact checking before blindly believing everything they read.  

E-Commerce Boom

There are a few people who actually profited from the pandemic, and one of them is Amazon Founder, Jeff Bezos (https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/how-billionaires-got-637-billion-richer-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/articleshow/77333000.cms ). Just between the period of March to June, 2020 his wealth rose by $48 billion. Buying products online was once looked at with doubtful eyes, but now it’s the new normal. This trend is projected to continue  well after the economy has recovered from Covid-19. 

Media Consumption
We can also see a few significant trends in the way media is being consumed online. Gen X watches more TV and online TV content, while Gen Z mostly consumes online video content. Millennials consume content across media like broadcast television, online videos etc. And gaming is the most popular pastime globally . 

The New Norm

Digital is the new normal. Everyone from our grandparents to their neighbours have accepted digital media and devices as a part of their lives. 

Digital behaviours and patterns have changed. These changes will impact brands and influencers for the next foreseeable future. We think it’s safe to say that to stay relevant, brands need to go digital. The pandemic has made the transition for people who don’t naturally take to technology and the digital world much quicker. And it’s quite clear that a few trends such as online shopping, media consumption and scrolling for news updates are here to stay.