As the range of activities we can engage in has significantly narrowed itself due to self-isolation, time spent on social media has increased. In this social media landscape, there are debates and controversies, demonstrations of solidarity, but also a lot of humor arising from the current situation.

And because we started talking about a captive audience with much higher consumption of social media, we could first notice various measures taken by Facebook itself[1] in an attempt to mitigate manipulative actions by the media or marketers who choose to place ads on this channel. These are all the more important as social anxiety grows and social platforms are the epicenter of expression and information.

The majority of posts during this period (26%) are about changing habits, new norms, and behaviors associated with the process of self-isolation. 19% of the online communication acts analyzed refer to public health policies. The majority of news on this topic compares different measures adopted in the affected countries. 14% are political news, 11% are controversies on different topics, and health news takes up 10% of the online content. Smaller percentages include economic news or humorous or solidarity posts.[2]

Precisely because we are talking about increased consumption of social media, studies that reflect consumers’ desire to receive news, offers, and engagement from brands are emerging, although many brands have stopped their online communication. The majority of people (72%) would like to see socially responsible actions from brands, precisely because they see them as an authority that can and should help in such a crisis.[3] Consumers still feel the need for communication from brands, but would not want them to be exploitative or insensitive.[4]

If we can draw one conclusion from the new paradigm of online behavior, it is that people are always finding resources to adapt, calibrating their needs when the context demands it. We are now dealing with a digitized society amid a crisis, and this is the greatest proof.

Sources:

[1] https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/externe/facebook-ia-masuri-pentru-limitarea-raspandirii-dezinformarii-despre-coronavirus-si-interzice-reclamele-inselatoare-1266940

[2] Social Media as an Emotional Outlet in Times of Crisis – Ipsos

[3] Creative Fightback 2020 – Ipsos

[4] BrandZ webinar_20March

Cosmina Chelariu

Junior Copywriter Minio Studio