{"id":5930,"date":"2022-01-24T12:59:04","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T12:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/24\/6-quarantine-trends-here-to-stay-data-expert-insights\/"},"modified":"2022-01-24T12:59:04","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T12:59:04","slug":"6-quarantine-trends-here-to-stay-data-expert-insights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/24\/6-quarantine-trends-here-to-stay-data-expert-insights\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Quarantine Trends Here to Stay [Data + Expert Insights]"},"content":{"rendered":"

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At the beginning of the lockdown, many of us were unable to see family or friends. All social plans were cancelled \u2014 practically overnight.<\/p>\n

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And, in the midst of so much stress and chaos, many felt more alone than ever.<\/p>\n

Which is why people turned to social media in an effort to find a sense of connection and community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Social media became a refuge \u2014 a place to post authentic, relatable content and form relationships virtually when in-person wasn’t an option.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And as Lala Fevrier,<\/a> Wayfair’s Senior Associate for Influencer Marketing, puts it, “When restaurants, schools, and businesses shut down, the only place left with a 24\/7 open sign for communication and creativity was social media.”<\/p>\n

All of which is to say: Quarantine, and the pandemic at-large, greatly impacted social media. And those changes have permanently shifted users’ expectations and preferences when it comes to their social platforms.<\/p>\n

Here, we’ll explore six trends we’ve seen as a result of the pandemic \u2014 and why they’re here to stay.<\/p>\n

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How The Pandemic Changed Social Media \u00a0<\/h2>\n

1. Quarantine increased time spent on social media, as well as social users worldwide.<\/h3>\n

Between 2019 to 2021, the amount of social media users worldwide increased by 11%<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 from roughly 3.4 billion in 2019 to 3.78 billion\u00a0in 2021.<\/p>\n

As lockdown orders went into effect, many sought out new opportunities to connect with friends and family. In fact, we saw a 5% jump in global users from 2019 to 2020 alone.<\/p>\n

People were also bored, which significantly increased the time spent on social media apps. Consider, for instance, the sudden popularity of bread baking in March<\/a>, or the random challenges across social apps, like the “flip the switch” challenge<\/a>\u00a0that exploded on TikTok in 2020:<\/p>\n

I know this boredom first-hand: During the beginning of the pandemic, I spent roughly 4 hours each day on Instagram. Rather than grabbing dinner with friends after work or chatting with colleagues on my lunch break, I scrolled through people’s IG Stories.<\/p>\n

I’m not alone. In the U.S., social media users jumped from spending 56 minutes per day<\/a>\u00a0on social media in 2019 to 65 minutes in 2020 and 2021. And, globally, people spent 145 minutes per day<\/a> on social media in 2020. (It’s important to note: That number has decreased to 142 minutes per day in 2021, suggesting a slight decline in social media use as some of the world re-opens.)<\/p>\n

Social media became a place to escape the turmoil of the real world. Along with a spike in social media users, engagement increased on certain platforms, as well. On Instagram, for instance, the average engagement rate for brands increased by roughly 6%<\/a>\u00a0in 2020.<\/p>\n

For Sarah White (@thecoastalyogi<\/a>), a Boston-based fitness instructor and influencer, the pandemic was a catalyst for her to launch virtual offerings and leverage social media as an opportunity to create a strong sense of community.<\/p>\n

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White told me, “Virtual offerings were a side of my business I had considered, but had never seen a need for until March of 2020. Since then, my virtual subscriptions have become a major part of my business and are the primary way I interact with my clients.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

White adds, “My Instagram is my primary source of marketing so my posting has definitely increased. I am intentional about answering every message I receive from clients as I know it’s this type of relationship-building that differentiates a following from a community.”<\/p>\n

2. Quarantine impacted video consumption.<\/h3>\n

2020 was an impressive year for video. In fact, media uploads increased by a staggering 80% year-over-year<\/a> \u2014 peaking at 103,603 video uploads on April 22.<\/p>\n

The minutes people spent watching videos in 2020 also increased by 85%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The pandemic greatly impacted how quickly video rose in popularity. It’s now the most popular type of content, and has been for two years in a row.<\/p>\n

Additionally, in a HubSpot Blog survey, 42% of respondents said “I watch more videos on social media” in response to the question, “How do you use social media differently now as a result of the pandemic?”<\/p>\n

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In particular, TikTok<\/a>, the popular short-form video platform, saw exponential growth as a result of the pandemic. This can be attributed, in large part, to the authenticity of the content produced on TikTok.<\/p>\n

As HubSpot’s Senior Social Media Strategy Manager Leslie Green<\/a>\u00a0puts it, “A huge platform shift that happened during the pandemic was that tastemakers and culture shifters were born on TikTok \u2014 not Instagram. TikTok lifted the hyper-filtered veil off of social with short-form, intimate, and authentic video content.”<\/p>\n

Green adds, “TikTok, largely due to it’s For You Page, became a place where anyone could be found. And in the last year many small creators blew up because they were able to create content that spoke poignantly to people’s lived experiences and feelings.”<\/p>\n

If your business hasn’t considered it already, 2022 is a good time to test out new types of short-form video content to see how it resonates with your audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another increasingly popular option for video is live streaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mari Smith<\/span><\/a>, Premier Facebook Marketing Expert (often referred to as the ‘Queen of Facebook’) and Top Social Media Thought Leader, suggests brands lean more heavily into live streaming in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smith says, “Embracing live streaming<\/a> \u2014 whether Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn Live \u2014 can go a long way towards creating more intimate relationships with your followers. Think of your live videos as ‘mini webinars’ and always strive to add nuggets of valuable, educational (and\/or entertaining!) content, before adding your call-to-action.”
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In 2022, consider testing different platforms and content types \u2014 such as TikToks, Instagram Stories, YouTube videos, or Facebook live streams \u2014 to find out which video format performs best with your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

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