What has been the biggest impact of the pandemic
thus far on social media and tech-based industries like eSports and video
conferencing platforms? Which industry or group has the most to lose? Which
industries/companies could possibly gain/benefit from the current situation? Do
you think the pandemic will have any lasting impact/create any long-term
changes in tech-related industries? No limit on responses –
only one question this week
ReplyDeleteThe current pandemic has had an effect on businesses around the world. Social media and technology have been greatly affected as well. Platforms used for video conferencing, such as Google Meet and Zoom, are gaining popularity as many companies transition to working from home. While sports content is taking the biggest hit right now, social media consumption is on the rise with users having more time at home.
One platform in particular, Tik Tok, has greatly benefitted from this time in quarantine.
Research has shown that the pandemic is indeed benefitting Tik Tok as
“according to Music Business Worldwide, the video app saw an 18 percent increase in downloads, and was downloaded 2 million times between March 16 and 22, an increase from the previous week's 1.7 million, Sensor Tower reported. The app also saw a 27 percent increase in the first 23 days of March compared to February with 6.2 million downloads,” (Crowley). This one week increase between March 16 and 22 is around the time when news broke that the United States would be in quarantine for many weeks, leaving users looking for something to do.
Beyond just providing a distraction, Milton explains in an article in Vox Magazine that “as the days begin to mesh together due to a world-wide quarantine, one app is helping bring people together. Tik Tok, whose mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy, is doing just that,” (Milton). Many users are making videos with the families or whoever they are quarantined with. This pandemic has also introduced the app to members of the older generations who may not usually spend this much time with their children. Tik Tok’s mission statement of inspiring creativity and joy is needed now more than ever.
Charli D'Amelio is now the most followed influencer on Tik Tok with 41.4 million followers. An article on Buzzfeed reviews her rapid rise to fame over the last few months. Although she has had appearances on Jimmy Fallon and the Superbowl, it is easy to attribute her recent success to the increase in Tik Tok users during this quarantine (Jokic).
The combination of user-generated content and celebrity content is what will keep Tik Tok afloat long term. During this pandemic, many celebrities have created Tik Tok accounts that didn’t have them before. This brings their followers to the platform that maybe only used Instagram and Twitter before. Social distancing is affecting everyone, even celebrities.
The Vox Magazine article highlighted some of the most popular celebrity Tik Tok videos that have been posted during the quarantine. Some favorites include Ashley Tisdale’s High School Musical “We’re All in This Together” remake, inspiring fans to work out at home, and Ciara and Russel Wilson’s videos with their children (Milton).
Celebrities have been helping to carry out the mission statement of the platform by being creative and spreading joy. This will help the company to continue to gain momentum, especially during a time when people are looking for joy anywhere they can find it.
In the future, I believe this pandemic will actually be credited with the reason Tik Tok became as successful as it did. As a new app that was gaining popularity, this was the perfect time to allow people to create more videos and discover the app that hadn’t already. Of all the companies affected by this pandemic, Tik Tok is one that had the most to gain.
Sources:
Crowley, James. “TikTok Numbers Soar Now That Everybody Is at Home Trying to Get Famous.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2020, www.newsweek.com/tiktok-users-soar-viral-videos-coronavirus-covid-19-1494229.
Jokic, Natasha. “Charli D'Amelio Just Became The Most-Followed Person On TikTok, And Are You Even Surprised?” BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, 26 Mar. 2020, www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/charli-damelio-most-followed-tik-tok.
Milton, Hailee. “Tik Tok Takeover: Celebrity-Quarantine Edition.” V Magazine, 20 Mar. 2020, vmagazine.com/article/tik-tok-takeover-celebrity-quarantine-edition/.
The coronavirus pandemic is having substantial impacts on the landscape of the world as we know it. Perhaps the biggest impacts can be seen in the field of social media, and various tech-based industries. I think one of these impacts is quite prevalent in the realm of esports. With all four major U.S. sports leagues on a hiatus, esports stands alone in an empty marketplace. Major esports leagues are making adjustments now, due to the pandemic. For example, Activision Blizzard's Overwatch and Call of Duty Leagues both shifted March and April events from in-person contest to online-only tournaments (Shanley, 2020). Not surprisingly, major streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube have seen substantial jumps in viewership the past few weeks. In fact, Twitch viewership overall increased 31 percent from March 8-22, according to a report from StreamElements and Arsenal.gg (Shanley, 2020). That’s not all, because the athletes themselves are taking part in the streaming. Fox Sports aired the Madden NFL Invitational over the weekend featuring eight NFL stars (Shanley, 2020). Likewise, ESPN is also airing an NBA 2K tournament featuring NBA stars.
ReplyDeleteI think the pandemic has impacted social media in a very negative way. More people are on social media since they are home, but that also leaves more room for hate and discrimination. Take 23-year-old Tik Tok star Cheenee Osera for example. Osera has racked up over 45,000 followers, but says that the joy of the social network has mostly disappeared (Wong, 2020). Tik-Tok users began leaving hurtful and outright offensive comments on her videos such as "Do you have the coronavirus?" or "Have you been to China? (Wong, 2020). But Osera is certainly not the only person who is the subject of these verbal assaults on many social media platforms. Asians have become an increasingly bigger target for racist and xenophobic remarks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok (Wong, 2020).
Personally, I think that non-chain restaurants, and other small businesses have the most to lose from this pandemic. Obviously, right now these places can only make money through delivery or takeout. But even that is no guarantee with the world being in a state of flux. For other small businesses, they’ve had to close down completely, and may never recover. On the other hand, I think some of the emerging video conferencing platforms have the most to gain. A couple of weeks ago, I had never heard of Zoom. But their stock is now soaring, while most other stocks are nosediving. With no end to the virus in the immediate future, I think Zoom will continue to gain recognition and more users in the coming months.
The pandemic will also have some long-term impacts on the tech-industry, but it may not be all bad news. One could argue that the growing need for remote interaction has highlighted a need for 5G technology, potentially accelerating its adoption long-term (“Five Ways the Coronavirus”, 2020) Two key areas — telehealth and teleconferencing are becoming critical for enterprise operations amid the pandemic, and we think that increased dependence on these areas will help strengthen the appeal of 5G (“Five Ways the Coronavirus”, 2020). Huge corporations including Apple, Google and Microsoft, have recommended, or mandated their employees to stay home. While this is best for safety reasons, it also limits the effectiveness of collaborative efforts. As these drawbacks become clearer enterprises will look for ways to smooth disruptions for employees, and one way will likely be VR; virtual reality (“Five Ways the Coronavirus”, 2020). While the coronavirus pandemic will create obstacles for many people and businesses the next few months, this may be one of the more positive results at the end of the tunnel.
Works Cited
DeleteFive ways the coronavirus will affect the connectivity and tech industry in 2020. (2020, March 18). Retrieved April 5, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/five-ways-coronavirus-will-affect-the-connectivity-tech-industry-2020
Shanley, P. (2020, March 31). Esports Gain Prominence as Major Leagues Go Dark. Retrieved April 5, 2020, from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/esports-gain-prominence-as-major-leagues-go-dark-1287117?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR's Today in Entertainment_2020-03-31 07:15:00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie
Wong, Q. (2020, March 25). Coronavirus sparks a different kind of problem for social networks. Retrieved April 5, 2020, from https://www.cnet.com/news/on-twitter-facebook-and-tiktok-racism-breaks-out-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/
Part 1
ReplyDeleteI have never been much of a video game player or even someone who prefers video calling instead of a simple text. But throughout this quarantine, I all want is to play on my Nintendo and Zoom with my friends. I had never understood the community within gaming or even group Facetimes because it had never interested me when I could see all of my friends in person. Now, I can fully understand why these industries have been so impactful to many people. Sports, in particular are something that is deemed essential for fans across the world. People are possessive, obsessive, and totally die-hard for their teams. With the sudden halt of all sporting events, eSports can be used to help these fans and give them a sense of normalcy. On March 22, 2020 the very first iRacing NASCAR event was held online. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Executive producer and head of productions and operations at Fox Sports, Brad Zager related this back to how eSports can mentally help sports fans, “‘It’s filling the void for NASCAR fans’" (Shanley, 2020). In regards to which industry that has the most to lose, I would say the film industry. It was a bit surreal to see movie companies taking their films out of the theaters. The director of the movie Emma spoke about her grievance as her film was removed from theaters in an interview with The New York Times: “‘This is a movie theater movie, I spent a lot of time on color and design and music and sound and I wish this movie could stay in theaters and people could go’” (Barnes & Sperling, 2020).
Charlotte
DeleteCharlotte Part 2
DeleteThose movies have been posted On Demand and on sites like Amazon Prime for consumers to buy, but at much elevated prices that are more expensive than a movie ticket. Although these movies have caught my attention, and I have been wanting to see a few of the films that were ripped from the theaters but I would never pay the $20 rent fee. That seems so stupid, especially when people are losing their jobs during this pandemic. One of the companies that I think is benefitting massively from this situation is Tik Tok. I’ve spent hours upon hours of time scrolling through the “For You” page. During this time, Tik Tok gives me a laugh and helps distract me from being isolated inside and it’s comforting to see others document their own quarantine. In data from a Newsweek article, “The video app saw an 18 percent increase in downloads, and was downloaded 2 million times between March 16 and 22, an increase from the previous week's 1.7 million, Sensor Tower reported. The app also saw a 27 percent increase in the first 23 days of March compared to February with 6.2 million downloads” (Crowley, 2020). A lasting impact that I can predict is something adverse to this technological frenzy. I think people will spend more time outdoors or socializing with friends after everything is over. I’ve taken that for granted and I’m sure a lot of other people have.
Works Cited
Barnes, Brooks, and Nicole Sperling. “Studio's Movies in Theaters Will Be Offered for In-Home Rental.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/business/media/coronavirus-universal-home-movies.html.
Crowley, James. “TikTok Numbers Soar Now That Everybody Is at Home Trying to Get Famous.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2020, www.newsweek.com/tiktok-users-soar-viral-videos-coronavirus-covid-19-1494229.
Shanley, Patrick. “Esports Gain Prominence As Major Leagues Go Dark.” The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/esports-gain-prominence-as-major-leagues-go-dark-1287117?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%2BToday%2Bin%2BEntertainment_2020-03-31%2B07%3A15%3A00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie.
As the COVID-19 continues to spread and impact the world, some industries have managed to stand out among the rest, in both positive and negative lights. Two industries in particular are online gaming and social media platforms. At a time where staying home is encouraged, gaming is able to thrive because the “go outside” mentality is at an all time low. Social media has always been a consistent presence in our lives, but with the world essentially at a halt, social media is one of the few things we have left until we get to the other side of the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteBusinesses are suffering more and more each day, but online gaming has stayed afloat with more people involved than ever before. According to an article on Nasdaq, “… most of China’s existing blockbuster gaming titles have seen a surge in play time and in-game purchases since January, which was further fueled by the release of new content by game operators” (Liu). This fact particularly refers to China, but there’s no doubt a similar thing is happened everywhere else as well. A big reason gaming has grown in popularity is because other forms of social interaction and entertainment have continued to be removed since the pandemic is growing. You can no longer go out on a daily basis to see friends, movie theaters have closed, restaurants are only take-out and all sports leagues’ seasons have either been suspended or cancelled. Gaming is one of the few ways to spend time with other people without the worry of getting sick. ESPN aired a full day of esports on April 5 to both promote the leagues, games and people that normally do not receive as much admiration on a normal basis. This pandemic has given online gaming a chance to shine and it will most likely be more popular in the long run.
As I previously stated, social media presence has continued to grow in the wake of COVID-19. However, this means that there has been more negativity than every before. Social media has always faced problems with racism and xenophobia, but it has been more prominent against Asians because the coronavirus originated in China. Social networks are now dealing with the flooding of insensitive and inappropriate comments across all its platforms. TikTok, the app that has seemed to take over the world, has faced its own problems. Cheenee Osera, a 23-year-old creator has become the target for hateful remarks. According to a CNET article, TikTok users will spray questions, like "Do you have the coronavirus?" or "Have you been to China?," at Osera, a Filipino-Chinese American student in Washington state” (Wong). This hate speech across all social platforms will only encourage negativity and damage communities.
DeleteThe COVID-19 pandemic is definitely going to have a lasting impact on businesses. Companies will have to adjust once the world gets back to normal, and some will continue to remain popular while others decline. Streaming services will have a lot to prove after the coronavirus reaches its end, because while it has always been relevant, viewership recently has skyrocketed. According to a New York Times article, “… services like Netflix have dampened box office sales for movies in recent years. Now, as movie theaters close under government orders, Netflix and YouTube are gaining a new audience” (Wakabayashi et al). Netflix and other services will have to find a way to keep its viewers even after the pandemic is in the rearview.
Works Cited
DeleteLiu, Evie. “Online Gaming and Other Stocks That Could Benefit From Coronavirus.” Nasdaq, 3 Feb. 2020, www.nasdaq.com/articles/online-gaming-and-other-stocks-that-could-benefit-from-coronavirus-2020-02-03.
Wakabayashi, Daisuke, et al. “Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever.” The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-facebook-amazon-youtube.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
Wong, Queenie. “Coronavirus Sparks a Different Kind of Problem for Social Networks.” CNET, 25 Mar. 2020, www.cnet.com/news/on-twitter-facebook-and-tiktok-racism-breaks-out-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/.
KALEY NESCI:
ReplyDeleteWith this pandemic not going away anytime soon, it is essential to look at all the aspects of how it is affecting the social media landscape and tech-based industries in general. We can look at Netflix, HBO, and Disney+ for example, all of which are thriving off of this pandemic. More users are subscribing to these streaming platforms, therefore turning profit to their companies. “While the broader market is tumbling, stocks for the homebody economy, which include the video-conferencing service Zoom, the fitness equipment maker Peloton, and technology companies like Netflix, are rising.” (Nguyen, 2020) It is so interesting to look at this new way of life and how companies who were once stagnant, are now profiting gloriously off of this pandemic, while other crumble.
Where things get messy is with advertisers and their advertisements. Advertisements are not doing nearly as well because they are simply not relevant to life at the moment. I would say this is one of the biggest areas being impacted by this pandemic when considering social media and the influencer industry.
Influencers directly are seeing their engagement with their audience’s skyrocket. “The influencer marketing agency Obviously said it's seen a 76% boost in the number of "likes" on sponsored posts on Instagram in the past two weeks.” (Perelli, 2020) I think it is a perfect time for anyone with a platform to really use it for their benefit. While everyone is home, it is the perfect time to interact with fans and really engage. This will do nothing but set that influencer up for more success post-pandemic.
“Traditional media companies, which were already losing money to digital ad platforms — to Google and Facebook, that is — are in real trouble, though. Local news outlets, which were already under enormous pressure, may not make it out at all.” (Kafka, 2020) It is interesting to look at these small media companies in this time and how they are in real trouble. With these bigger media conglomerates, it is going to be so hard for these little companies to make it out alive when this pandemic is over.
KALEY NESCI:
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Perelli, A. (2020, April 1). How the coronavirus is changing the influencer business, according to marketers and top Instagram and YouTube creators. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/how-coronavirus-is-changing-influencer-marketing-creator-industry-2020-3
Kafka, P. (2020, March 24). Twitter's usage is skyrocketing. Its ad sales are plummeting. Expect to see that played out across media. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/24/21192311/coronavirus-pandemic-media-advertising-twitter-new-york-times
Nguyen, T. (2020, March 9). Brands like Clorox, Netflix, and Campbell are benefiting from the coronavirus. Most companies aren't. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/3/9/21168297/brands-coronavirus-benefiting-clorox-netflix
Max Marino
ReplyDeleteIt is no secret that the corona virus has changed our everyday lives since we have been recommended to stay in quarantine. For my sake, I used to not be able to spend more than one day in my house without losing my mind. Now, I haven’t left the house for anything that is non-essential in three weeks. Looking for something to do, I turned on my PlayStation 4 for the first time in months. Over the past couple weeks, I have turned into a gamer. Other than homework (sometimes) and some family time, I haven’t stopped playing video games such as Rocket League and MLB The Show 20. Since all of this has happened, many businesses have taken a hit. But one industry, the E-gaming industry, has been thriving off everyone staying at home.
Karol Severin wrote an article for Midia Research called Why Games Could Benefit From Coronavirus. Severin dove into what kind of affects this virus will have on the industry. “We know that the effect of self-isolating will lead to increased engagement rates with digital entertainment and media services in the immediate short term, but the key concern remains around the wider economic situation and potentially a not-so-short recession once coronavirus is gone,” (Severin). She also mentions how gaming will be used to increase with people socially. Digital socializing is the only way people will be able to talk to and feel like they are with anyone other than their family. I know for my sake, me and my friends all downloaded the app Discord, and have been talking on it every night.
Patrick Shanley wrote an article for Hollywood Reporter about how with all the major sports leagues out, Esports plans to gain major prominence. Virtual sports tournaments are the only source of sporting events that are happening right now, and these companies are planning to take every advantage they have of it. "While bringing the community together to experience the sport live is very important to us, being a digital-first sport has allowed us to quickly adapt and move to online-only competition," a spokesperson for Riot Games tells The Hollywood Reporter, (Shanley). Egaming has been affected by this as well, as some Call of Duty Leagues shifted their March and April events from an in-person contest to online-only tournaments.
Esports are not just thriving off this epidemic without giving some of it back. Trilby Beresford of the Hollywood Reporter wrote an article called Game Companies, Esports Organizations Host Online Events to Support Coronavirus Fight. The gaming industry, as Beresford claims, is focusing on unity during these tough times, while hosting a live Twitch streamed fundraiser as well as a five-week charity tournament with the proceeds going to Coronavirus research. “Esports franchise Tempo Storm will host a four-day live-stream event to raise money and awareness for charities involved in the relief effort, including Feeding America, a network of food banks; and CARE, a humanitarian organization that provides disaster relief to areas in need,” (Beresford).
Works Cited
Beresford, Trilby. “How Video Game Companies Are Raising Money to Support the Coronavirus Fight.” The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/game-companies-esports-organizations-come-together-support-coronavirus-fight-1286951.
Shanley, Patrick. “Esports Gain Prominence As Major Leagues Go Dark.” The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/esports-gain-prominence-as-major-leagues-go-dark-1287117?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%2BToday%2Bin%2BEntertainment_2020-03-31%2B07%3A15%3A00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie.
“Why Games Could Benefit from Coronavirus.” MIDiA Research, 18 Mar. 2020, www.midiaresearch.com/blog/why-games-could-benefit-from-coronavirus/.
Quinn - Part 1
ReplyDeleteThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on businesses around the world. Technology and social media outlets have been affected as well. Various platforms that businesses are now using for video conferencing, like Google Hangouts and Zoom, are rising in popularity as businesses are now reliant on video chatting in order to conduct their business while away from the office. Zoom has been in the news a ton recently due to hackers interrupting random classroom and business meetings. This trend of “Zoom bombing” incidents are occurring all across America. The FBI is currently looking into this. An extreme example of the Zoom meeting attacks occurred on March 30th, when a group was meeting on cyberattacks. The presenter was covering misinformation on COVID-19 that had been posted on different social media pages. The hacker scribbled all over the screen, and forced the meeting to end early (Morris).
Although each platform is being impacted differently from the current pandemic, one social media platform that has benefitted from people being stuck at home is Tik Tok. The video app saw an 18% increase in downloads, and was downloaded over 2 million times between March 16 and 22nd (Crowley). Personally, I love Tik Tok. I find it’s a great way to kill time, and there’s literally every kind of content on the app. I’m more interested in the food and sports highlights on Tik Tok, but the app has every type of content for every kind of user. I downloaded Tik Tok just a few weeks before the quarantine, and never would’ve imagined myself enjoying it a few months ago.
Outside of killing time, Tik Tok mission is to inspire its users creativity (Milton). Many users, including myself, have taken the extra free-time and made videos with the people that they are with. Tik Tok has tons of user-generated content and celebrity content as well. 15-year-old Charli D’Amelio is currently the most followed user on Tik Tok, with 41.4 million followers (Fun Fact: She’s from Connecticut) (Jokic). Tik Tok has made these 15-year-old into nationally recognized celebrites. Charli was even featured on the Jimmy Fallon show and in a Super Bowl commercial (Jokic).
Quinn Part 2 -
DeleteCelebrities joining and making Tik Tok’s is huge for the platform. When fans of that celebrity see that they’ve joined Tik Tok, they’ll be way more inclined to download the app and see what their favorite celebrity is up too.
This quarantine has definitely helped Tik Tok’s popularity grow. I’m very curious to see once the quarantine is over how many users will still go on as regularly as they do now. Since there’s not much going on, Tik Tok is a great go-to to kill some time and see some great videos and content. The main question that Tik Tok will need to focus on is how can they keep it up and not lose all this momentum post-quarantine.
Sources:
Crowley, James. “TikTok Numbers Soar Now That Everybody Is at Home Trying to Get Famous.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2020, www.newsweek.com/tiktok-users-soar-viral-videos-coronavirus-covid-19-1494229.
Jokic, Natasha. “Charli D'Amelio Just Became The Most-Followed Person On TikTok, And Are You Even Surprised?” BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, 26 Mar. 2020, www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/charli-damelio-most-followed-tik-tok.
Milton, Hailee. “Tik Tok Takeover: Celebrity-Quarantine Edition.” V Magazine, 2020, vmagazine.com/article/tik-tok-takeover-celebrity-quarantine-edition/.
Morris, David Z. “How to Stop Hackers from 'Zoom Bombing' Your Zoom Video Chats.” Fortune, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2020, fortune.com/2020/04/02/zoom-bombing-what-is-meeting-hacked-how-to-prevent-vulnerability-is-zoom-safe-video-chats/.
Being stuck in the house for the unforeseeable future isn’t that bad when we have social media, video games, and Zoom. These three industries have experienced a large increase in user interaction ever since the pandemic. While this may seem amazing for business on the surface, social media stands to lose a lot of revenue. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have all experienced big surges of user engagement, but ad revenue has decreased. Ad agencies have decided to pull back on buying space on social media—Twitter is estimated to have a 20% drop in revenue (Kafka). I’ll admit, I have definitely increased my social media usage over the past two weeks, but that’s mostly because social media is free. Since ads are being pulled back, this has a ripple effect on social media influencers because their jobs are based on ad revenue. I think the big social media apps will likely survive this drop, but I worry that some influencers may not be able to recover because their income is suffering and so are their platforms.
ReplyDeleteOn a more positive note, however, people can’t get enough of video games and Esports. As an avid video game player, I’m happy that the Esports community is thriving and even getting more recognition. Video game usage has gone up 75% and Twitch and YouTube Gaming viewership has increased 10% and 15% respectively (Shanley). I think the gaming industry can really benefit from the isolation of the pandemic. A lot of people can form communities through gaming that don’t require them to be in the same room. Since people have so much free time, it makes sense that video games’ sales and engagement would be on the rise. The World Health Organization even launched a campaign #PlayApartTogether so that people can feel connected through gaming while they stay home (Langille et al.). On any video game platform, people can have live chats and even participate in online multiplayer. These two capabilities encourage teamwork and human interaction through gaming.
Another surprising success story during this pandemic has been the rise of Zoom. I had never heard of Zoom before college but I’m pretty sure a majority people around the world are familiar with the service by now. I think video conferencing is the thing people never thought they needed until everyone couldn’t leave their houses. Zoom is among certain tech companies that are going to get a huge boost in success and sustainability from this pandemic. Big tech like Amazon can thrive on changes in consumer habits as people are less likely to go to grocery stores and more likely to order their food online (Wakabayashi et al.). I think the pandemic will push a lot of tech companies to the forefront, there may be a huge transition to exclusively using online services. Netflix’s success already puts the nail in the coffin for dying movie theaters. Amazon’s vast ecommerce will probably knock out any small businesses that were already struggling. I think there may also be more development towards increasing bandwidth and Wi-Fi capabilities as people have flocked to YouTube and Netflix for high resolution video content. We may be relying a lot more on online services in the than we ever have before.
Works Cited
DeleteKafka, Peter. “Coronavirus Pandemic: Twitter, New York Times See Increased Usage, Falling Ad Sales.” Vox, Vox, 24 Mar. 2020, www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/24/21192311/coronavirus-pandemic-media-advertising-twitter-new-york-times. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020.
Langille, Aaron, et al. “Playing Video Games Can Ease Loneliness during the Coronavirus Pandemic.” The Conversation, Apr. 2020, theconversation.com/playing-video-games-can-ease-loneliness-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-134198. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020.
Shanley, Patrick. “Gaming Usage Up 75 Percent Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Verizon Reports.” The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gaming-usage-up-75-percent-coronavirus-outbreak-verizon-reports-1285140?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_2020-03-18%2007:09:00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020.
Wakabayashi, Daisuke, et al. “Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever.” The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-facebook-amazon-youtube.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020.
The current pandemic has had a huge impact on the tech industry and social media platforms because everyone around the world is stuck at home. It’s a perfect time to be the only widely accessible form of entertainment, but that strength also comes with some disadvantages.
ReplyDeleteFor example, this pandemic has really put video conferencing platforms on the map. Zoom is now a household name, and is turning into a verb for video chatting in the same way that googling something is part of our vocabulary. However, Zoom’s influx of users has forced the company to consider privacy and security risks that they may not have in the past. Now, they are solely focusing on fixing their “biggest safety and privacy shortfalls” instead of design or interface problems (Harwell). While Zoom has benefitted from more users and an increase in market value to “roughly $35 billion”, they are also at risk for hacking and information breaches. It’s possible that Zoom is both a company with the most to gain and the most to lose.
Another platform that has seen major benefits from the pandemic is Tik Tok. Up until recently, many people avoided downloading Tik Tok because it was seen as an app for a younger public. However, with everyone working from home or stuck inside, that stigma is slowly going away. Besides having funny or mindless content to scroll through, Tik Tok has also become a platform for users to share ways that they’re getting through quarantine. Users use hashtags like #boredathome or #happyathome to showcase “how they’re passing the time” (Crowley). Tik Tok is benefitting from being a platform for people to share positivity and stay connected.
There’s no doubt that the pandemic will have lasting effects on the tech industry. Business is booming for companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Facebook that don’t have to sacrifice any features during a nation-wide quarantine. These companies will have a huge advantage over others like Uber and Lyft, that “are seeing customers vanish” when quarantine rules are lifted (Wakabayashi). Also, as more consumers are forced to use online resources that they may not have before the pandemic, tech companies are gaining users that they may not have in a different situation. New York Times noted that Michael Crowe, a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, “ordered groceries from Amazon for the first time” because the pandemic made him not “want to risk going to a supermarket”. Now, Crowe says he could see himself using the service “longer term when this is over” (Wakabayashi).
DeleteThis doesn’t mean that any and every tech company is destined to find immense success right now. Although Quibi’s launch on Monday seemed like it came at an opportune time, the platform generated considerable less buzz than “Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus on their launch days”, which occurred way before the pandemic (Schneider). Tech companies are finding that they can’t rely on society’s boredom to increase their user numbers and revenue. Instead, they are actually having to work harder to maintain their platforms usability and keep public interest. Once this is all over, it will be interesting to see which tech companies come out on top and which fall.
Crowley, James. “TikTok Numbers Soar Now That Everybody Is at Home Trying to Get Famous.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2020, www.newsweek.com/tiktok-users-soar-viral-videos-coronavirus-covid-19-1494229.
Harwell, Drew. “Everybody Seems to Be Using Zoom. But Its Security Flaws Could Leave Users at Risk.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 2 Apr. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/02/everybody-seems-be-using-zoom-its-security-flaws-could-leave-people-risk/.
Schneider, Michael. “Quibi Launched Monday to Little Social Media Attention, According to First-Day Data (EXCLUSIVE).” Variety, Variety Media, LLC., 8 Apr. 2020, variety.com/2020/tv/news/quibi-social-media-thanks-a-million-1234574208/.
Wakabayashi, Daisuke, et al. “Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-facebook-amazon-youtube.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
The biggest impact of the corona virus on social media and tech-based industries have been video conferencing. Zoom, google meet, FaceTime, and Skype have been used on a daily basis for students, professors, business professionals and many others to connect. Moving to a remote lifestyle is not easy but because of how technology has evolved in the past century, it has made it much easier for companies and universities to adapt to this new way of working. Video conferencing platforms have hit an all time high as this pandemic has taken all essential business out of the office. This makes me wonder if there will be more leeway in the future for business professionals to work from home or even professors to conduct more classes online.
ReplyDeleteThe only downside to Zoom is that once you are given a access code, virtually anyone can use that code to join your chat or video meeting. You have to create private rooms to secure privacy. According to Washington Post, “The company in recent days has endured a storm of embarrassing revelations from security researchers pointing out flaws that could allow strangers to steal log-in information, gain access to messages and take control of users’ cameras and microphones.” This has actually happen to me on two different occasions now. Once during a class and another when I was on Zoom with some friends. If we are going to continue to use this platform and if this pandemic continues to force us to work remotely, this is going to have to become a priority for the company to ensure privacy and security.
As for social media, I can personally say my screen time has gone up exponentially during this time. Since I have moved home, I have spent an average of 8 hours on my phone each day since being home from college. One app that has benefitted from this pandemic has been TikTok. They have started to use hashtags to spread the word about social distancing. They have really taken full advantage of how many downloads. According to a article Newsweek, the Music Business Worldwide said “the video app saw an 18 percent increase in downloads, and was downloaded 2 millions times between March 16 and 22.”
Other companies that are gaining traction during this time are online delivery services or online shopping. This is the time when people can’t go out or don’t want to go out to get things so they just order them online. Amazon has seen a huge spike in orders since the pandemic. Not only orders, but since the demands of product delivery has gone but, there has been a spike in warehouse workers and deliver workers. According to the New York Times, “Amazon said it was hiring 100,000 warehouse workers to meet surging demands.”
I personally think that the pandemic will have long-term consequences for a lot of industries and companies like small town businesses. They are non-essential and have not been able to make their usual cash flow since state wide stay at home orders have been put in place. They are going to continue to suffer for awhile, as well as our economy in general.
Crowley, J. (2020, March 25). TikTok numbers soar now that everybody is at home trying to get famous. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-users-soar-viral-videos-coronavirus-covid-19-1494229
Harwell, D. (2020, April 2). Everybody seems to be using Zoom. But its security flaws could leave users at risk. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/02/everybody-seems-be-using-zoom-its-security-flaws-could-leave-people-risk/
Wakabayashi, D., Nicas, J., Lohr, S., & Isaac, M. (2020, March 23). Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-facebook-amazon-youtube.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article
The biggest impact of the pandemic thus far on social media and tech-based industries is the loss of advertising dollars for social media platforms and users. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok rely on advertising to generate revenue and to ensure their platforms are free to the public. The pandemic is demolishing the economy, which is forcing advertisers to make cuts to their budgets. As Peter Kafka explains, “advertising dollars, the thing that sustains many media companies, are often cut first as companies contract in bad times” (“Twitter’s Usage”). Companies are cutting advertising budgets to stay afloat and pay their employees. This could be problematic for social media platforms and their employees. This is also troublesome for social media influencers. They rely on projects from their partners or sponsors to generate income. Those who promote brands in the travel, dining, or retail sectors now have no work to be done and are forced to adapt (Elliott). With advertisers slashing marketing budgets, social media influencers have to find a new way to earn income. Thus, social media influencers and social media platforms have the most to lose. Despite the massive increase nationwide in time spent on social media, platforms and influencers are not benefiting financially. They may end up being fine after the pandemic is over, but they will be pressed to find new sources of income in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, organizations such as Netflix, Amazon, and eSports leagues could benefit from this. These organizations are helping to fill voids left by closed facilities and canceled functions, which puts them in a unique position to grow their fan-bases. Netflix and other streaming services are entertaining people while movie theaters are closed to the public (Wakabayashi et al.). Amazon is providing groceries and over-the-counter drugs to those who aren’t leaving their homes. ESports leagues and teams are providing people with a source of entertainment and distraction while major sports are on hold (Shanley). Large amounts of people are turning to these companies in this dire time, which will help the brands’ bottom lines and their public image. People will remember them as allies during a crisis and will be more inclined to engage with them in the future. Of course, some people will gravitate back to their routines when normal life resumes, but they might be more willing to give these companies a long-term chance.
This will lead to some long-term changes. In particular, more people may start relying on delivery services for groceries and other goods. Some people may do it for sanitary reasons, while others will do it for convenience. After ordering groceries through Amazon for the first time to avoid the grocery store, a man in North Carolina said “I could see myself doing it longer term when this is over” (Wakabayashi et al.). Another long-term impact is the ability to work from home more often. While I don’t believe that working from home will be the new normal, I do believe that people with the ability to do it will opt to occasionally. Remote work services, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Hangouts Meet by Google, and VPN Super Unlimited Proxy have all experienced major increases in users since the pandemic began (Koeze and Popper). These services have proved that work can be done from home relatively efficiently, which might encourage some people to stay home to save on commuting costs and time. Following this crisis, people will be looking for ways to streamline routines in an effort to value time spent with friends and family, which will be the biggest long-term impact in the technology industry.
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DeleteWorks Cited
Elliott, Hannah. “When the Picture Isn't Pretty: How Influencers Are Adapting to Lockdown.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 1 Apr. 2020, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/how-social-media-influencers-are-affected-by-coronavirus-shutdown.
Kafka, Peter. “Twitter's Usage Is Skyrocketing. Its Ad Sales Are Plummeting. Expect to See That Played out across Media.” Vox, Vox, 24 Mar. 2020, www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/24/21192311/coronavirus-pandemic-media-advertising-twitter-new-york-times.
Koeze, Ella, and Nathaniel Popper. “The Virus Changed the Way We Internet.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/07/technology/coronavirus-internet-use.html.
Shanley, Patrick. “Esports Gain Prominence As Major Leagues Go Dark.” The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/esports-gain-prominence-as-major-leagues-go-dark-1287117?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%2BToday%2Bin%2BEntertainment_2020-03-31%2B07%3A15%3A00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie.
Wakabayashi, Daisuke, et al. “Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-facebook-amazon-youtube.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
Katerina Bressette
ReplyDeleteDuring the Corona Virus pandemic, the world has been forced into self-isolation. Any social and community events/celebrations have been canceled or postponed until further notice. Everyone has been forced indoors and to fear human contact. We are left to rely on indoor activities, the internet, and social media, for entertainment. For social media and tech-based industries, the pandemic has caused an influx of viewership and engagement. One source states, “According to Verizon, U.S. video game usage during peak hours has gone up 75 percent since the quarantine first went into effect last week. Meanwhile, video streaming has also increased by 12 percent” (Shanley). Due to people following the rules and staying inside during these difficult times, people are absorbing more content than ever. Gaming, streaming, and tech-based industries are benefiting the most from this worldwide pandemic. Another industry that is seeing success due to the outbreak is the video-conferencing companies. One company, in particular, has had its market value “double to $35 billion this year” (Harwell). Zoom, a video-conferencing company, could not have anticipated the schools, universities, and hundreds of industries going online in a matter of weeks. Video-conferencing company’s like Zoom have seen the most benefit due to the sudden need for companies to communicate without face-to-face contact. Universities across the country have begun to rely on Zoom to teach hundreds of thousands of students at a moment’s notice. While companies like Zoom seem to be on the rise and ultimately a necessity for businesses at the moment, their lack of security measures might cause a dip in their current popularity. There are a few industries that are taking a harder hit than others during this world crisis. The advertising industry seems to be taking the hardest hit so far. Companies put millions of dollars into ads each year, but with the current pandemic, those businesses are forced to cut spending everywhere they can to save costs. Garett Johnson, an assistant marketing professor at Boston University states, “a lot of advertisers are just pulling back – the tide’s going out…if the economy is not doing well, if firms are bleeding cash as a result of COVID, we’re not going to see too much advertising” (Hsu). Many companies have begun to report a lack or weakening of ads over the last couple of weeks and this appears to be only the beginning. The widespread effect of the Corona Virus has affected everyone on a global level, and I think there will be a lot of long-term effects due to its drastic impact so far. I believe that this is the beginning of a switch to more tech-based learning, work, and business operations. I think that tech companies will become stronger due to the world’s sudden reliance on technology, social media, and the internet. One source states, “After the financial crisis in 2008, Apple emerged even stronger. There is no reason it and the other giants can’t do the same again” (Wakabayashi). It will be interesting to see which companies continue to rise after this crisis and which ultimately fall to the effects of the virus.
Katerina Bressette
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Harwell, Drew. “Everybody Seems to Be Using Zoom. But Its Security Flaws Could Leave Users at Risk.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 2 Apr. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/02/everybody-seems-be-using-zoom-its-security-flaws-could-leave-people-risk/.
Hsu, Tiffany. “'A Seismic Shock': Jittery Companies Pull Back on Ads During Pandemic.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/business/media/ads-commercials-coronavirus.html.
Shanley, Patrick. “Gaming Usage Up 75 Percent Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Verizon Reports.” The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gaming-usage-up-75-percent-coronavirus-outbreak-verizon-reports-1285140.
Wakabayashi, Daisuke, et al. “Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-facebook-amazon-youtube.html.
Alexis Tinney
ReplyDeleteCOVID-19 has had a serious impact on the way everyone lives their daily lives. The biggest impact of the pandemic thus far on social media and tech-based industries is a big increase in usage. TikTok specifically has seen a big spike in users with people stuck at home self-isolating. TikTok had an 18 percent increase in downloads and was downloaded 2 million times between March 16 and 22 which is a huge increase compared to previous weeks. The reason for this is people that who may not have normally downloaded TikTok did to distract themselves from COVID-19. People are using TikTok as a platform for lighthearted jokes such as Chrissie Mayr, who recorded herself cleaning her apartment and gave herself the name “CoronAvenger” (Crowley, 2020). Other platforms as well have seen a large increase in usage as more people have free time on their hands. “Twitch saw a 31 percent increase in viewership over the last two weeks. In a blog post on Tuesday, Facebook executives Alex Schultz and Jay Parikh revealed that usage has increased over 50 percent in countries hit hardest by the virus, and video messaging on apps like Messenger and WhatsApp has doubled” (Crowley, 2020). Many employers and schools are heavily relying on enterprise teleconferencing tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, and Zoom. A lot of people are starting to recognize the value that conferencing tools have to offer. Google shifted its Google Cloud Next event to online-only, and IBM also had to live-stream its developer's conference, which last year hosted over 30,000 attendees. If it wasn’t for the conference tools these events would have to be fully canceled and not moved online. Telecommunications and technology industries have also found opportunities to help with what matters most which is keeping people safe and healthy. They are aiding companies that are scrambling to make videoconferencing technology more broadly available, assisting governments to disseminate accurate information to citizens about the virus, and finding uses for smart technologies to combat the pandemic (“Five Ways the Coronavirus”, 2020).
Alexis Tinney (Cont)
ReplyDeleteI think the industry with the most to lose is technology companies such as Apple. Apple experienced shortages on its iPhone supply as a result of the company's primary manufacturer, Foxconn, shutting down production in China. Ultimately for Apple, this will lead to a significantly reduced forecast in iPhone shipments the future by as much as 10 percent (“Five Ways the Coronavirus”, 2020). For this reason, they are going to continue to struggle and keep up even when the pandemic ends. I think social media influencers have a lot to gain and benefit from. “Charli D’Amelio just became the most followed creator on TikTok, with a super-lowkey 41.4 million followers” (Jokic, 2020). Stars like Charli are thriving because of all the action and praise TikTok is receiving. During times like these people look to influencers for a distraction and a way to take their mind off things. Another industry that has the potential to do well even after COVID-19 is smart technology. Cities all around the world are utilizing smart technology in attempts to navigate a scary time like this. “Police in China are using drones with thermal sensors to identify people in public running a fever” (“Five Ways the Coronavirus”, 2020). This drone with a thermal sensor is not only protecting people like us but doctors and nurses that would otherwise have to physically take your temperature. I think the pandemic will most definitely have long-lasting impacts on tech industries. All big technology companies have been mandated that employees work from home. For this reason, 49 percent of business respondents are looking to use VR and other extended reality tools to mirror real-world training conditions. Even when kept at home, employees will be able to keep their skills sharp and feel like they’re still in the workplace (“Five Ways the Coronavirus”, 2020). Overall, I think technology companies will be prepared for emergencies and be a lot more equipped to handle them.
Alexis Tinney
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Crowley, James. “TikTok Numbers Soar Now That Everybody Is at Home Trying to Get Famous.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2020, www.newsweek.com/tiktok-users-soar-viral-videos-coronavirus-covid-19-1494229.
Five ways the coronavirus will affect the connectivity and tech industry in 2020. (2020, March 18). Retrieved April 5, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/five-ways-coronavirus-will-affect-the-connectivity-tech-industry-2020
Jokic, Natasha. “Charli D'Amelio Just Became The Most-Followed Person On TikTok, And Are You Even Surprised?” BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, 26 Mar. 2020, www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/charli-damelio-most-followed-tik-tok.
It is no surprise to me that TikTok is benefitting from this current situation. According to Music Business Worldwide, TikTok was downloaded 2 million times between March 16 and 22, where they saw a 27% in a week a March than the month of February (Crowley 2020). I think TikTok is the new craze because of the length of the videos, each video typically isn’t longer than 30 seconds. TikTok delivers quick content to its users making it easy to be consumed at all times. TikTok is benefiting from the quarantine because now everyone is trying to be a viral creator, including older generations. I would be lying if I said that TikTok does not consume most of my time during the quarantine. I have had the app downloaded since October 2019 and six months later during the quarantine, I was able to notice a switch in content. Back in October TikTok’s were typically made alone and were harder to gain fame. During this current situation, while everyone is at home, I have started to notice much more family-oriented content as well as being included in their children’s content. Creating TikTok’s has become the result of there being nothing else to do.
ReplyDeleteOther companies benefitting from this pandemic are online video chatting companies. Unless you are up to date on all of the latest platforms, Zoom was not a household name before the pandemic. Now that everyone is quarantined, Zoom and similar platforms have introduced professionals, teachers, students of all ages, and family members to a new way of communicating. “Zoom was used by more than 200 million callers last month, up from 10 million in December, and is used in more than 90,000 schools across 20 countries” (Harwell 2020). I think the use of Zoom and other video chatting platforms are going to change the many businesses function after this is over. The use of Zoom has illustrated to employers that their company can or cannot function fully remotely. Deborah Tannen, professor of linguistics at Georgetown argues that being personal has become dangerous. She believes that instead of asking, “Is there a reason to do this online?” we’ll be asking, “Is there any good reason to do this in person?” (Politico 2020). Preparing for these long-term changes, I think we see a push in all industries for more people to work remotely and a change in the way people communicate.
Unfortunately, the companies that cannot function remotely will ultimately have the most to lose. At the moment, the losing industries to me are small businesses, restaurants, and sports. What is constant throughout all three industries, is if they are not operating they are not bringing in any money. For non-essential businesses the longer they stay closed the harder it becomes for them to reopen again. Restaurants are trying to do take out and other initiatives to help pay rent and keep the business going but the uncertainty of them all is what makes it the hardest. As for sports, I think we will be entering a different world with the upcoming seasons. As of last week, President Trump plans to have sports return by August or September (Stellini 2020). If this virus comes back again in the fall as they predict it to, how are any sports be able to function? This raises questions like will they play with no fans? Or will they even play at all? When thinking about the future and this virus, I do not feel like I am the only one questioning when is it safe to go back out and resume life as we knew it.
Work Cited:
DeleteCrowley, James. “TikTok Numbers Soar Now That Everybody Is at Home Trying to Get Famous.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2020, www.newsweek.com/tiktok-users-soar-viral-videos-coronavirus-covid-19-1494229.
Harwell, Drew. “Everybody Seems to Be Using Zoom. But Its Security Flaws Could Leave Users at Risk.” Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com.
Magazine, Politico. “Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here's How.” POLITICO, 19 Mar. 2020, www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/19/coronavirus-effect-economy-life-society-analysis-covid-135579.
Stellini, Nick. “Report: President Trump Wants Sports to Return by August or September - HardballTalk: NBC Sports.” HardballTalk | NBC Sports, 5 Apr. 2020, mlb.nbcsports.com/2020/04/04/report-president-trump-wants-sports-to-return-by-august-or-september/.
Kayla Gaudet
ReplyDeleteThe destruction of the pandemic as been astronomical across all media industries surprisingly, some industries have actually benefited from it. Services such as Esports and Zoom have had major success since the outbreak. Although Esports was already relatively successful, quarantine has taken it to a new level. With the elimination of major sporting events such as March Madness and the summer Olympics, the usual sport fans had to turn to a new means of entertainment. Esports became the perfect platform for sport fans as it allows for millions to participate without breaking quarantine. The rush of competition and entertainment stays alive in a whole new way. An article from the Hollywood Reporter mentioned how video game competitions including Call of Duty and Overwatch have transitioned to online platforms to cater to the pandemic. The article goes on to discuss how the transition to online gaming has caused an influx in YouTube and Twitch views as well. Ironically, those who made most of their money online are actually suffering from this pandemic. Influencers who make most of their content and livelihood based on travel and ad sponsorships are not facing a major decline. Many influencers are paid to travel and review different places or food, so they are not in a standstill. Business Insider uses influencer Lauran Bullen as an example of one of many influencers who have been affected by Covid 19. Bullen travels the world and shares her experiences on her Instagram account which has recently been stopped because her trips have all been canceled for the remainder of this quarantine. Some influencers, however, have been able to find ways to adjust. Some influencers have taken this time to share their knowledge with their followers, especially those with fitness accounts. Tik Tok is also flourishing at this time. What better time to learn the iconic Tik Tok dances than when you’re locked in your house all day?
Companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb are taking a major hit from the virus. They thrive off the ability for people to travel and right now that is nearly impossible. Amazon, however, is bigger than ever. NY Times discusses how the majority are afraid to leave their homes, resulting in a massive increase in grocery deliveries and other essential items. Although it seemed that the virus would only bring negativity, it seems to be benefiting the tech-world in a major way. This has created a surge in streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. The push to stay indoors has resulted in a large push for people to find other sources of entertainment in online services. Not only has it changed entertainment, but it’s changed how we work and learn. A massive amount of people are working from home or continuing their education at home which has been very beneficial for Google, Microsoft, Zoom, and Amazon. This change is a glimpse into our technological future. This has shown us where our world is basically taking us. A world with streaming services, major corporations winning, and a major shift to screens.
Works Cited
Perelli, Amanda. “How the Coronavirus Is Changing the Influencer Business, According to Marketers and Top Instagram and YouTube Creators.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 8 Apr. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/how-coronavirus-is-changing-influencer-marketing-creator-industry-2020-3.
Shanley, Patrick. “Esports Gain Prominence As Major Leagues Go Dark.” The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/esports-gain-prominence-as-major-leagues-go-dark-1287117?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%2BToday%2Bin%2BEntertainment_2020-03-31%2B07%3A15%3A00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie.
Wakabayashi, Daisuke, et al. “Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/technology/coronavirus-facebook-amazon-youtube.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
COVID-19 has made a sizable impact on people’s lives around the world—despite whether they even contracted the virus. Since people have been staying home from school and work, the pandemic has also made an impact on several industries. Specifically, social media platforms like TikTok have benefited from the outbreak of coronavirus, along with videoconferencing, gaming and eSports industries.
ReplyDeleteWith the social distancing measures in place, and people needing to communicate with friends online, the social media industry has been booming. According to Newsweek, TikTok in particular has seen, “a spike in users and downloads, as more people,” try to go viral in the wake of the pandemic (Wong). Quarantine hashtags like ‘#boredathome,’ and ‘#happyathome,’ have been encouraging users to produce quarantine themed content that most users around the world can relate to (Crowley). Meanwhile, TikTok stars like Charli D'Amelio have been starting an array of viral dance challenges for other users to follow—another reason new users are migrating onto the platform. It is likely that the popularity of TikTok will continue and even grow after the coronavirus dies down, due to its viral culture and the immense popularity of certain users like Charli.
Similarly, video conferencing has seen major increases in users and app downloads due to the government's stay-at-home recommendations. According to CNBC, the company “added 2.22 million new users,” since the coronavirus outbreak alone, which means it has gained “more users this year than in all of 2019,” (Novet). Likewise, the gaming and eSports industries have been on the rise now that live sports are cancelled. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “U.S. video game usage during peak hours has gone up 75 percent since the quarantine first went into effect last week,” while esports “is poised to break into mainstream in a way that it has never been able to before,” (Shanley).
With the benefits that these industries are experiencing due to coronavirus, there is also a downside. Negative comments have been on the rise since the increase in usage of social media, gaming and eSports. “Racist and xenophobic remarks on social media platforms,” targeted at Asian users have been increasing heavily—something that these social media companies are not prepared to handle (Wong). On top of this, ad sales are dwindling. Surprisingly, despite the increase in social media usage, social media companies like Twitter’s ad “revenue may have dropped by 20 percent in March as advertisers cut back on spending or perhaps stopped spending altogether,” (Kafka). With the decline of the economy, people are spending less, companies are cutting their marketing budgets down, and social media companies are seeing the impacts.
The companies posed to take the greatest hit because of the pandemic and subsequent isolation measures are local businesses who don’t have prominent social media presences. These local restaurants, salons and boutique stores will face major declines in their sales, especially if they do not offer online and delivery services. As we’ve seen the social media industry grow since the outbreak of coronavirus, we can see how it's necessary for businesses to be active online to continuously communicate with their customers while they are stuck at home.
Crowley, James. “TikTok Numbers Soar Now That Everybody Is at Home Trying to Get Famous.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2020, www.newsweek.com/tiktok-users-soar-viral-videos-coronavirus-covid-19-1494229.
DeleteKafka, Peter. “Twitter's Usage Is Skyrocketing. Its Ad Sales Are Plummeting. Expect to See That Played out across Media.” Vox, Vox, 24 Mar. 2020, www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/24/21192311/coronavirus-pandemic-media-advertising-twitter-new-york-times.
Shanley, Patrick. “Esports Gain Prominence As Major Leagues Go Dark.” The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/esports-gain-prominence-as-major-leagues-go-dark-1287117?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%2BToday%2Bin%2BEntertainment_2020-03-31%2B07%3A15%3A00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie.
Shanley, Patrick. “Gaming Usage Up 75 Percent Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Verizon Reports.” The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gaming-usage-up-75-percent-coronavirus-outbreak-verizon-reports-1285140.
Wong, Queenie. “Coronavirus Sparks a Different Kind of Problem for Social Networks.” CNET, 25 Mar. 2020, www.cnet.com/news/on-twitter-facebook-and-tiktok-racism-breaks-out-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/.
Novet, Jordan. “Zoom has added more videoconferencing users this year than in all of 2019 thanks to coronavirus, Bernstein says.” CNBC, 26 Feb. 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/26/zoom-has-added-more-users-so-far-this-year-than-in-2019-bernstein.html
All the major social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) are winning in terms of engagement. People are bored at home, and they’re scrolling to kill time. However, the “likes” have not exactly translated into dollar signs, according to Vox writer Peter Kafka, “Twitter’s daily usage has jumped by 23 percent this year…But the company’s revenue may have dropped by 20 percent in March as advertisers cut back on spending or perhaps stopped spending altogether.” The economy is hurting as the pandemic has forced businesses to make major adjustments and/or cut back spending. Additionally, when companies fall on hard times, advertising is often cut first (Kafka). This could potentially make all media companies, at least partially losers. Social media sites are only free-to-use because they make money from advertisers. Their users are their products that they make money on by selling them to advertisers. But, advertisers just aren’t buying. This has had a varying effect. Facebook, who’s facing technical, traffic and advertising problems, could still get out of this okay due to the incredible size and value of the company before the pandemic (Kafka). However, small companies of one are feeling losses. Influencers live on advertising and brand deals as well. But, they don’t have the backing of a massive company with lots of resources like Google. Of course, different kinds of influencers are experiencing different things. Obviously travel and event-based influencers are hurting because they don’t have diverse revenue. But, fitness and cooking influencers still have the opportunity to make money without advertisers. According to Business Insider, “These creators often focus on direct-to-consumer services, rather than relying on brand partnerships for revenue” (Perelli & Whateley). A fitness YouTube channel can sell “private” lessons, putting their content behind pay walls because they are providing a service. The same could be said for cooking accounts or channels.
ReplyDeleteOther problems for tech companies right now are, in fact, their high levels of engagement. What should be beneficial is becoming detrimental as Facebook scrambles to get 45,000 employees set up at home-offices and as Zoom faces security threats from people willing to exploit a global crisis. Facebook, like many other tech companies, have never pursued remote work models because it simply is not conducive to quality work. According to the New York Times, “Working from home has also made moderating Facebook’s posts more difficult. This month, Facebook put its army of global contractors from outside agencies on paid leave. Those contractors, who number over 15,000, are responsible for sorting through the posts, images and videos that flow through Facebook’s services on a daily basis to weed out sensitive, explicit or hateful material” (Isaac & Sheera). This has been especially problematic as people of Asian-decent are the targets for racist hate speech due to the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak (Wong). Tech companies have been falling behind in policing these comments. Additionally, seemingly positive traffic spikes on Zoom have gone wrong as “Zoombombing” takes hold of the platform. Internet trolls are infiltrating public zoom calls, “and using the platform’s screen-sharing feature to project graphic content to unwitting conference participants, forcing hosts to shut down their events” (Lorenz). The exploitation of this seemingly glaring, security flaw in the platform could actually be a long-term positive. If it wasn’t now, internet trolls would have found it eventually. Zoom has taken steps to fix the issue.
DeleteWorks Cited
Isaac, Mike, and Sheera Frenkel. “Facebook Is 'Just Trying to Keep the Lights On' as Traffic Soars in Pandemic.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/technology/virus-facebook-usage-traffic.html. Accessed 8 April 2020.
Kafka, Peter. “Twitter's Usage Is Skyrocketing. Its Ad Sales Are Plummeting. Expect to See That Played out across Media.” Vox, Vox, 24 Mar. 2020, www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/24/21192311/coronavirus-pandemic-media-advertising-twitter-new-york-times. Accessed 8 April 2020.
Lorenz, Taylor. “'Zoombombing': When Video Conferences Go Wrong.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/style/zoombombing-zoom-trolling.html. Accessed 8 April 2020.
Perelli, Amanda, and Dan Whateley. “How the Coronavirus Is Changing the Influencer Business, According to Marketers and Top Instagram and YouTube Creators.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 8 Apr. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/how-coronavirus-is-changing-influencer-marketing-creator-industry-2020-3. Accessed 8 April 2020.
Wong, Queenie. “Coronavirus Sparks a Different Kind of Problem for Social Networks.” CNET, 25 Mar. 2020, www.cnet.com/news/on-twitter-facebook-and-tiktok-racism-breaks-out-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/. Accessed 8 April 2020.