COVID-19 Has Changed The Way We Use Internet In Just A Month
COVID-19 has forced us to be locked indoors. And during such times, the internet is our best friend, and in some cases, our saviour. It is no news that almost all of us are constantly using the internet while indoors, however, in case you were wondering most of them are being on their smartphones, you¡¯re in for a surprise.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to be locked indoors. And during such times, the internet is our best friend, and in some cases, our saviour too.
It is no news that almost all of us are constantly using the internet to survive indoors, however, in case you were wondering most of them are being on their smartphones, you¡¯re in for a surprise.
People are using more PCs than smartphones
As per an analysis conducted by the New York Times, with SimilarWeb and Apptopia, people in the US are logging in to platforms like Facebook, Netflix using URLs instead of the apps. This basically means people are logging in from their computers as opposed to smartphones.
According to the data, app Facebook, Netflix, YouTube saw a considerable drop in usage in their apps, while the traffic on their online sites skyrocketed.
There could be many reasons behind this trend -- the comfort of just lying on the bed and propping open the laptop while one can binge watch shows surely seems one of them.
Alternatively, it could be since mobile data is expensive and data caps would limit their streaming. Moreover, who wouldn¡¯t want to consume content on a bigger screen?
Video conferencing app usage has skyrocketed
While noteworthy, there is an unsurprising increase in demand in video conferencing apps, drawing a bunch of users on platforms like Google Duo, Nextdoor, Houseparty in just one month.
People working from home are relying on video conferencing apps like Zoom, Microsoft teams and Hangouts. Even Google Classrooms has witnessed a considerable increase in the number of users as schools and students use it to conduct classes amidst lockdown.
People consume more local, national news, no more sports
Moreover, people today are more and more relying on local and national news to keep themselves informed about the cases of the novel coronavirus.
And since the lockdown has suspended all the games across the world, sites like ESPN has seen an unprecedented drop. People, however, are taking more interest in esports with Twitch seeing a 20 percent rise in traffic.
Are you using your laptop more than your smartphone too? Let us know in the comments below.