How COVID-19 is Changing Social Media Usage and Platforms

A lot is changing very rapidly in the social media landscape, as you've likely noticed. Because of "Stay at Home" or "Shelter in Place" orders, people across the world are increasingly online and that means that they are on social media more than ever before.

With all of the changes happening, it can be hard to keep up! So we've compiled what we know so far and we will continue to update this blog as we acquire more information. There's a lot to digest, so I recommend jumping to the sections that pertain to the social media platforms you are currently using or are interested in using.

Overall Social Media Changes Resulting from COVID-19

Engagements on posts have increased across (almost) all industries, but especially for healthcare, consumer goods, and the media and entertainment industries. People are craving social interaction, on top of being online more, and that is causing them to engage more than they used to.

The industries that have seen a dip in engagement are likely, at least partially, seeing a dip because they are posting less on social media with all that is going on. The industries seeing a dip in engagement are nonprofits, retail, and sports. Really no surprise there.

What IS surprising is that Twitter engagement saw a huge dip across all industries. And Instagram saw a big increase in comments and messages. My theory for both of these stats is that people desire REAL engagement more than ever, and Instagram offers that in higher doses than Twitter does.

Ideal times to post have changed for most social media platforms as well, and I'll make sure to break those down in the following sections.

Breaking Down the Changes by Platform

Since there are so many changes taking place, I thought it would be easiest to break down by platform. This makes it easier for you to skim to the information you will find most valuable.

Changes on LinkedIn

New best times to post:

• Wednesdays at 3 pm
• Thursdays 9-10 am
• Fridays 11 am to Noon

Updates as of August 24th:

• LinkedIn has announced some new additions to its Sales Navigator platform, as it works to provide more solutions to help businesspeople increasingly working remote, and unable to hold regular face-to-face meetings with clients.

Updates as of July 7th:

• LinkedIn company page analytics have received an upgrade, with company pages now having the ability to see who their followers are rather than an arbitrary number.
• LinkedIn is now limiting the number of times admins can invite people to like their page to 100/mo to limit spammy invites.

Updates as of June 10th: 

• LinkedIn has confirmed that they are testing a new status feature for some users but haven't completely rolled it out yet. 

Updates as of June 2nd:

• LinkedIn has announced some new features for advertisers, including retargeting capabilities tied to video ads and lead-generation forms, and new brand safety integrations for the LinkedIn Audience Network.

Updates as of May 19th:

• LinkedIn rebranded their editorial team to LinkedIn News, as it has now grown to include more than 75 staff members in 15 regions.

• LinkedIn  published an overview of its new 'dwell time' metric, which is now being factored into its feed algorithm, which defines what each user sees on the platform. 'Dwell time' calculates how long a LinkedIn user spends looking at an update or link.

Updates as of May 12th:

• Company LinkedIn pages can host virtual live events now that LinkedIn Events and LinkedIn Live can work together.
• LinkedIn has launched a new Polls feature so you can tap into the collective knowledge of your network. 

Updates as of May 6th:

• LinkedIn is up to roughly 690 million users, with engagement rising and ad spends and job listings decreasing (according to SocialMediaToday)
• LinkedIn is making digital interviews easier than ever before with their new video intro and interview assessment tools.
• LinkedIn has shared some tips to make the most of their platform at this time (including sharing your insights and experiences)

Changes on Facebook

New best times to post:

• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10-11 am
• Avoid any time after 5 pm any day of the week

Updates as of August 24th:

• Facebook's is now partnering with BlueJeans, GoToMeeting, Webex and Zoom to offer even more video conferencing apps on Portal (their video connection device).
• Facebook has been working toward providing grants and business resources to Black-owned businesses.
• Facebook has launched their new Educator Hub, designed to help teachers find or build their online community and discover resources for the classroom and beyond. 
• Page owners on Facebook can now create an online event, set a price, promote the event, collect payment and host the event, all in one place through Facebook's paid online events.

Updates as of July 7th: 

• Facebook released their Holiday Insights for Marketers this week! This is a great resource to plan ahead for marketing your products or services during the holidays this year in the midst of a pandemic.

Updates as of June 24th:

• Facebook has launched the "Summer of Support", where marketers and business owners alike can access six weeks of free training, tools, and insights from industry professionals.
• To support California businesses with their compliance efforts, Facebook is introducing a new feature businesses can use to limit how Facebook uses the data the businesses send to Facebook, called "Limited Data Use". 

Updates as of June 10th:

• After banning all ads for face masks in March to avoid profiteering around the COVID-19 outbreak, Facebook announced that it's easing those restrictions and will allow the promotion of non-medical face masks across its platforms.
• There have been reports of Facebook rolling out a new Wikipedia Knowledge Box in Facebook search results. 
• Facebook News, the social network’s dedicated section devoted to journalism, has launched for all users in the U.S. 
• Due to a growing need for transparency, Facebook is rolling out labels for state-controlled media. According to Facebook, "We want to help people better understand who’s behind the news they see on Facebook."

Updates as of June 2nd:

• Facebook is rolling out an option for page admins to send marketing emails via their page. Seems like a neat idea, but so far it's clunky.
• Facebook is expanding its verification requirements to profiles with large audiences as it seeks to ensure people are who they claim to be on the platform. 
• Facebook has launched 'Manage Activity' to help you archive or trash old posts, all in one place.

Updates as of May 26th:

• Facebook provides tips on how to make your posts more accessible for users with disabilities or other impairments.
• Facebook clarified their guidelines around music usage in video posts.

Updates as of May 19th:

• Facebook and Instagram roll out 'Shops', turning business profiles into virtual storefronts.

• Facebook released a "State of Small Business Report" that takes a look at how small businesses and the people behind them are faring. 
• Facebook is now making its new Messenger Rooms multi-participant video hangouts option available to all users globally.
• Facebook has announced that Messenger Rooms will also be available within groups and events, providing another engagement option within smaller audience subsets.
• Facebook has announced that it has acquired GIF platform GIPHY in a deal reported to be worth around $400 million.

Updates as of May 12th:

• Facebook is launching new tools for SMBs for both Facebook and Instagram including a 'Support Small Business' sticker for Instagram and an update to Messenger to help streamline direct response.

Updates as of May 6th:

• Facebook has almost reached 3 Billion users worldwide
• Facebook has expanded its Community Help Hub to cater more to assisting others in our communities
• Facebook has begun opening its moderation centers again, where they are able to, as concerning content has been gaining momentum on the platform without these in action

Changes on Instagram

New best times to post:

• Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 11 am
• Tuesday at 2 pm

Updates as of June 19th:

• Instagram has started testing new product shopping tags in captions that allows users to be taken to a product page when clicked.
• "Instagram captions" is also trending in search engines because users are recognizing the importance of solid caption content in getting the engagement needed to show Instagram algorithms they're worthy of being shared.

Updates as of June 2nd:

• Instagram is currently testing a new, double-story Stories feed for some users.

Updates as of May 26th:

• Instagram added the capacity for Instagram users to create Messenger Rooms direct from their Instagram Direct inbox.

Updates as of May 19th:

• Facebook and Instagram roll out 'Shops', turning business profiles into virtual storefronts.
• Instagram released "Guides", a way for users to more easily discover recommendations, tips and other content from their favorite creators, public figures, organizations and publishers on Instagram.
• Instagram officially announced that all users can now save the video of their Instagram Live broadcast to IGTV, and keep it available for viewing for as long as they choose.

Updates as of May 6th:

• Posts/links to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and local health authorities will be highlighted every time someone clicks on hashtags related to COVID-19 in an effort to curb misinformation.
• Instagram is also taking measures to prevent misinformation by blocking certain hashtags, posts, and any potentially misleading information.

Changes on Twitter

New best times to post:

• Fridays 7-9 am (with 9 am showing peak activity)

Updates as of June 19th:

• Twitter has rolled out new List features where you can easily make lists, discover new lists, follow lists and Tweet lists. 
• Twitter has launched a new voice tweet feature where you can now record and tweet with audio.

Updates as of June 10:

• Twitter is testing a new feature on Android that prompts people to read an article before they retweet it to ensure that users aren't just tweeting articles based on titles.
• Due to the need for greater verification of accounts at this time, Twitter is working on a new option that would enable users to apply for profile verification from their account settings. They've been working on rolling out their new verification process since they halted verifications in 2017. 

Updates as of June 2nd:

• Twitter has announced that it's bringing native tweet scheduling and the capacity to save tweet drafts to its desktop app.
• Twitter's making it easier for users to add text descriptions to their uploaded images, with a dedicated '+ALT' button displayed on the image itself.

Updates as of May 26th:

• Twitter has begun live testing of its new DM chat window on desktop, which provides a Messenger-style, picture-in-picture display for your messaging discussions on the platform.

Updates as of May 12th:

• With COVID-19 misinformation continuing to circulate through Twitter, they have announced new measures to help slow the spread of misinformation, including a new label to alert users.

Updates as of May 6th:

• In an effort to catch up with other top social media platforms, Twitter is launching a new stories feature called "Fleets" (get it… because they're fleeting?). They can't be retweeted, liked, or publicly replied to, and (like other social platforms) they will disappear after 24 hours.

Changes on WhatsApp

Updates as of May 6th:

• WhatsApp has launched a new COVID-19 fact-checker bot to help reduce the spread of misinformation
• WhatsApp group calls now allow up to 8 participants, doubling the capacity it previously had in an effort to encourage connectivity
• In an effort to reduce the spread of misinformation, WhatsApp is limiting message forwarding (previously unlimited). They are restricting messages that have been sent through a chain of five or more people, and you can now only forward a message to one person (so choose wisely).

Changes on YouTube

Updates as of June 19th: 

• YouTube introduced an updated platform for creators and brands to connect and collaborate called YouTube BrandConnect. 

Updates as of June 2:

• YouTube has introduced Video Chapters to make it easier for users to navigate longer videos

Updates as of May 19th:

• YouTube has announced a new way for marketers to do advertising with the release of 'YouTube Select'.

Updates as of May 12th:

• YouTube is looking to provide new ad options to help marketers tap into evolving consumption trends as their TV-connected viewing has gone through the roof.

Updates as of May 6th:

• In an effort to reduce network strain throughout the world, YouTube has decided to reduce its default streaming quality. To stream in HD, you now have to select to do so.

Changes on Snapchat

Updates as of August 24th:

• Snapchat is testing a feature that would allow users to share Snapchat content that is not their own off of the platform, a potentially great win for businesses.

Updates as of June 19th:

• Snapchat rolled out a new ads manager feature called Snap Focus, where advertisers can "learn about the latest and greatest from Snapchat and the community who uses it."

Updates as of May 19th:

• Snapchat has rolled out an update to its in-app analytics for Creator accounts, while it's also added a new 'Quoting' feature which will enable Creators to respond to replies in their public Stories.

Updates as of May 6th:

• Snapchat is launching a new mental health resource center called "Here for You" on their platform. This feature will provide people with relevant updates from the World Health Organization (WHO), the CDC, Crisis Text Line, NHS, and other similar partners, links to relevant resources, and exercises to help people cope with anxiety and stress they may be battling.

Changes on TikTok

Updates as of August 24th:

• TikTok has announced the full launch of the ability to control TikTok via Alexa voice activation on equipped mobile devices.

Updates as of June 19th:

• TikTok posted an article that informs users on how its algorithm works when it comes to #ForYou recommendations.

Updates as of June 2nd:

• TikTok has announced a new #LearnOnTikTok program, which will see it fund a range of educational videos in order to help facilitate learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Updates as of May 12th:

• TikTok is now offering a royalty-free 'Commercial Music Library' of sounds that are available for businesses and are no longer allowing them to use the free music that consumers can.
• TikTok is readying the launch of a new augmented reality ad format that will allow TikTok users to add interactive visual effects from advertisers to their TikTok videos that interact with the physical environment around them.

• TikTok added 13 million monthly active users between January and March of this year- equating to 45% growth, year-over-year.

Changes on Pinterest

Updates as of June 2nd:

• Pinterest has continued its shift towards becoming a full eCommerce platform, with the addition of a new 'Shop' tab within its Lens visual search results.

Updates as of May 12th:

• Pinterest has announced the launch of its updated Pinterest Business Community platform, which aims to facilitate discussions and encourage pin sharing among businesses. 
• Pinterest announced that they are launching a new app with Shopify to make pins more easily shoppable. It will include a suite of shopping features like tag installation, catalog ingestion, automatic daily updating of products, and an ads buying interface.

Stay Up-to-Date on How COVID-19 is Changing Social Media

We'll be updating this post weekly, so we recommend bookmarking it and checking back frequently to get the latest updates! We plan to keep updating you until there's nothing new to say, and that may be for a long time yet.