Aug 27, 2020 | 2 min read
Social Media - The World Beyond Impressions!
The lives of people have changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. People are asked to sit at home and practice social distancing as the government ordered a lockdown in the country. People who were not into using social media much have started spending more and more time on it. The intensity of the social media activities witnessed a huge jump with an 80% increase in usage. In the first week of lockdown, Indians spent more than four hours every day on social media leading to an increase in its usage in comparison to a week before lockdown.
People have changed their outlook on social media. Social media which was once used by people, for majorly entertainment and posting purposes, has a positive side. The following are the few ways in which people use social media after the implementation of lockdown:
Form of communication
The lives of people have changed due to the Social media was always a form of communication used by people but with the lockdown it has emerged to be a major form of communication as people can easily connect to their friends and loved ones while sitting in their respective homes. The amount of ways to connect has also increased as new social media platforms such zoom, meet etc. come into the picture.
Information
The lives of people have changed due to the A lot of awareness campaigns were triggered on social media which helped people across the country to know about the essentials of the lockdown as well as the precautionary measures to be taken during this time.
Acts As Distraction
The psychological impact of the pandemic is also leading to changing consumption patterns. People trapped inside are being fed with constant negative news, making them anxious about the future. And, online gaming, social media, video streaming, music streaming come as great distractions from the negativity. It helps in relieving stress and keeping people in a good mood, be it work stress or fight or something else, it acts as a good distraction.
Business and Marketing
With the temporary shutdown of businesses, companies are redeeming themselves and coping to stay in the market. They continue their work online to protect both the business and themselves. Social media gives them all the platforms needed to connect with people and have meetings from any place having an internet connection. They are also practicing social media marketing now, more than ever to stay in the minds of the people and the target audience.
Entertainment
Apart from all the information and communication done on social media, some sites such as Facebook, Instagram etc. also provide content to keep people engaged. People are using social media to keep themselves entertained by scrolling through various posts and pages and following the trends.
Conclusion
The lockdown has turned into a golden period to establish a social media presence with the increase of usage. The internet and the social media world have a plethora of exciting ways to connect and communicate with your audience. Even when the lockdown is lifted, the economic fallout will linger for a while and changes in behavioral patterns may stay, which can also be backed by the fact that it only takes 21 days to form a habit as analyzed by psychologists. People now believe that most of the things that they used to do offline, can now easily be done online.