Social Media: COVID-19 Impact Report

Socialbakers has released a new report, “Social Media — The Impact of COVID-19.”

The state of engagement on Instagram and Facebook in 2019 vs. 2020

There are some differences in the global engagement of brand accounts on Instagram posts between March 1 and March 26, 2019, compared to the same period in 2020. Some countries have seen an increase in interaction, including Japan (10%) and Argentina (2.2%); Belgium is one of the few countries that has maintained the same level. However, most countries in Europe, North America and the Middle East have seen a decrease in interaction levels, including the United Kingdom (10.5%), the United States (13.8%) and Israel (29.5%).

The level of engagement with brand accounts on Facebook has also changed globally compared to the same period in 2020. Countries that have seen growth include Austria (7.7%) and Japan (3.3%); Ireland and Switzerland have remained at the same level. On the other hand, many countries in Europe and North America have seen declines, including Italy (3.6%), the United States (6.7%) and Sweden (15%).

The spread of coronavirus content on Facebook and Instagram

After a few spikes in early and late February, engagement on brand posts mentioning the coronavirus really picked up in early March and surged in the weeks that followed.

One of the biggest single-day increases on both platforms occurred on March 16.

On March 16, New York City's mayor ordered the closure of the city's bars, theaters, and cinemas, and several other countries also closed their borders, which likely led to higher levels of interaction.

Differences in the spread of coronavirus content on Facebook and Instagram

Posts mentioning the coronavirus are more common on Facebook than on Instagram, highlighting the different ways brands are using the platforms.

This suggests that people are turning to Facebook more often when looking for news and updates, while Instagram tends to be a place away from those things. Despite this, brands are still using both platforms to provide followers with the latest information.

Posts about the coronavirus peaked on March 17, with more than 11,000 posts on Facebook and 3,300 posts on Instagram about the outbreak.

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