Jun 29, 2020
The Power of Human Connectivity
(Part 4 of The WFH Report)
I think it probably goes without saying, but all of our participants were increasingly missing human contact. Those living alone especially, which was 13%. However, as a large chunk of the global population hunkered down in isolation away from their friends and family, technology, and in particular social media and conferencing platforms have become the next best thing — a crutch for human connection.
In March of this year, Facebook’s daily active users increased by 11% and 10% year-on-year respectively, according to its Q1 2020 results, reflecting an uplift in engagement triggered by users following stay at-home orders.
Video calling on Facebook Messenger and sister brand WhatsApp has almost doubled in some areas hit hardest by the virus. The addictive escapism of short-form video is providing much-needed relief for TikTok’s users.
Since the outbreak began, there has been a notable spike in global downloads — 315 million in Q1 2020 alone, in fact — making it the most downloaded mobile app in any quarter ever, according to SensorTower. It is now thought that TikTok has surpassed 2bn lifetime downloads. Partly attributed to its ability to connect friends and family in a fun and playful way during anxious times.
Despite many influencers having been forced to halt paid campaigns, engagement on sponsored Instagram posts significantly increased in March. Campaign impressions surged by 22% for Q1 compared to those of Q4.
Meanwhile, Instagram Live has become particularly popular during the pandemic. For example, in Italy, one of the worst affected countries in the European region, Instagram Live views doubled in just one week during March.
It’s also been a catalyst for the people behind brands to create emotional connections directly with their customers. Twitter has seen much the same picture as Facebook and Instagram when it comes to levels of engagement and a dip in advertising revenue growth. It’s up 24% from 134 million in the first quarter of 2019 to 166 million in Q1 2020.
Interestingly, the types of topics users discussed in the first quarter took a dramatic turn as populations acclimatised to the new normal. Global conversations about coronavirus quadrupled in the month of March, according to insight from SproutSocial, and tweets about cooking jumped by 60% in the US between 9th-22nd March compared to the two weeks prior.
Microsoft has reported that LinkedIn has seen ongoing growth in both total members and engagement. LinkedIn users are now up to 690 million total members, increasing from 675 million back in January. And, in regards to active usage, Microsoft says that Linkedin sessions have continued to rise, up 26% for the quarter.
So, despite feeling lonely, we are all talking more virtually it seems. The key question is whether these volumes will be sustained, whether this is any kind of substitute for actually talking with someone and, what role social media can play in rebuilding the economy.
Jenny Burns is an Executive Partner at Fluxx. We help companies like Condé Nast,Thames Water, HSBC, and Addison Lee Group, bring big ideas to life. Check out Fluxx Studio Notes for more stories. Are you interested in learning the secrets for sustained, repeatable innovation models, from expert practitioners? Check out The Innovation Starter Kit. Stay tuned with all that’s Fluxx by following us on LinkedIn or signing up for our WTF Newsletter. Get in touch at Jenny.Burns@Fluxx.uk.com.
