Internet users in lockdown turn to esports, social networks, music

Image: scyther5/IStock.com via AFP Relaxnews

Certain online activities have been given a major boost by internet users living in lockdown, according to the latest Digital 2020 report published by the agency We Are Social and the social media management platform Hootsuite, which was updated in April. The new data highlight certain significant changes in behavior due to the beginning of lockdown almost everywhere around the world.

Nearly half of internet users (47%) report spending more time on social networks in recent weeks. All social platforms are seeing an increase in their number of active users. Twitter is the network with the strongest growth in the first quarter of 2020 (14% more than in the fourth quarter of 2019). Time spent on Snapchat and TikTok has grown considerably. It should also be noted that TikTok was the world’s most downloaded application between January and March 2020.

As for video-conferencing tools, Zoom, which has been in the headlines, has had up to 200 million active users on certain days, 20 times more than before the pandemic.

Along with whiling away the time on social networks, internet users have also been listening to more music, with 39% of 16 to 64 year-olds surveyed increasingly turning to online music streaming services in recent weeks.

Also in the realm of entertainment, figures for weekly numbers of game downloads to mobile phones jumped by 30% in March, when compared to averages for the fourth quarter of 2019. Finally, 10% of internet users worldwide are spending more time watching e-sports. Momentum in the sector has been boosted by the introduction of numerous virtual competitions featuring real top-level sportsmen and women, particularly in motor sports.

In April 2020, 4.57 billion people made use of the internet, nearly 60% of humanity. Among them, 3.81 billion were active on social networks, which amounts to almost one person in two. The threshold of 50% of the world’s population on social networks is expected to be crossed by the end of 2020. JB

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