The Impact Of Covid-19 On Digital Consumption
The spread of COVID-19 has changed so much about life as we know it. Measures such as lockdowns, self-isolation and social distancing, while necessary for the welfare of society, have a wide-ranging impact on businesses and digital media consumption.
The recently imposed 21-day lockdown has confined the people of India to their homes. That’s billions of people! All of whom are now looking for other ways to keep themselves occupied, entertained and in touch with friends and family. This has led to a significant increase in the use of some digital platforms.
The Negative impact of COVID-19 on digital consumption
Now that we’ve covered the platforms that have seen a surge in activity as a result of COVID-19, let’s take a look at those that got the short end of the stick!
These are predominantly websites/apps related to food, shopping and travel. This is to be expected as the lockdown has severely impacted our freedom of movement and desire to order food that has been handled by others.
Slower internet speeds have been observed in several areas due to the increase in video chats, gaming and online streaming of content. The lockdown has affected the production, transportation and distribution of products. This has, in turn, resulted in the reduction of online sales via platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart and eBay. There has also been a fall in the amount spent by brands on advertising – both traditional and digital.
One can only speculate about the impact of COVID-19 on digital consumption as we have no idea when things will return to normal! Several unpredictable factors come into play – could diminishing internet speeds result in a reduction in the number of online gamers and streamers? Will video chats be affected by these slow speeds as well? Are the current high levels of digital consumption sustainable as the spread of the virus continues/ is halted?
The answer to all of these questions – only time will tell.