It has undoubtedly been a crazy year for people and for social media. Being stuck at home would have been a lot harder for many people if they didn’t have the frequent ability to connect and speak to friend via social media. Here are some of the top moments this year:
TikTok:
Although this app was created years ago, then known as musically, it went through some serious rebranding and became TikTok. According to the App store and Google play, it broke the record for the most app downloads in a quarter in history. It is said to have been downloaded, worldwide, 115million times in March 2020 (when lockdown began).
TikTok became many peoples crutch during this challenging time, it brought funny videos, a new community and constant trends and challenges which people felt they could get involved in. The most viewed tiktok was by a girl called Bella Poarch, she is lip-syncing to M to the B, the video gained more than 530 million views. This is important because this song will always be remembered in 2020 because of a TikTok trend.
Some may have thought that TikTok was an app aimed for Generation z, which it originally may have been. However, during lockdown this completely changed as an increase in various different demographics, which is unsurprising considering the amount and variety of content on TikTok – there really is something for everyone.
TikTok has become such a popular form of social media that mainstream celebrities embraced the change and started taking part in the new challenges. A noteworthy one was Kylie Jenner, who appeared to embrace TikTok after a month or to into lockdown. She provided entertainment as she re-enacted famous Keeping Up with the Kardashians scenes.
Similarly, Will Smith is one of the most well-known actors and he did hit the world with a blast from the past video which became one of the most viral tiktoks this year. Videos like this draw in various demographic audiences, those who remember Men in Black as well as those who know Will Smiths name and the Wipe It Down challenge.
Business doesn’t stop:
Due to lockdown in March businesses were forced to shut and their only option was to move online. Most businesses, that could, had a clear goal and adjusted to the current situation, which involved taking their business to social media. As people were struggling at home, more people decided to share their opinions via Instagram and Facebook lives. The usage of these increased by 40% which became extremely beneficial as people would review products and the brands would see an increase in sales.
Instagram features a shopping button which helped boost products, this became a sweet surprise for people when they were searching for particular subject. As many people know, Yoga and home exercise became a huge thing as people were determined to get fit while they had little too.
Finally, Global Politics:
This became such a big issue and concern in 2020 as activism took the centre role throughout various months in lockdown. People used social media to learn, teach, educate others and support others like never before. During the pandemic we lost a man called George Floyd who was suffocated to death by a policeman on his neck. This sparked a lot of conversation because people wanted justice and not only for George Floyd, people such as Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor were also spotlighted when it came to showing why justice is important.
In June 2020, over 21 million people posted a blackout Tuesday post on Instagram in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Social media played a crucial role in this movement as it promoted new communication channels and a sense of solidarity.
TikTok played a role in this as sound was created called “This is America”, which allowed people to show what was happening in the current American riots. The hashtag was created to help start discussion and conversation around specific topics, as it allows thousands of people to add the information pages about the topic. For example, the hashtags used on tiktok for Black Lives Matter allowed viewers and creators to access a page where all the content about the subject. The awareness on the topic and the aim of the movement is to remove systematic injustices and racial inequalities against the black community. During lockdown, social media was the easiest way of expressing your thoughts and opinions, despite riots happening and social distancing walks occurring, social media worked as a platform for activists.
To wrap up this article and the year nicely, social media has had and will continue to have a massive impact on our everyday lives. The use of social media should be considered more carefully with use as previously mentioned it clearly has a big influence on its audience and community. It has made the world get closer together during a time when we need to be apart and it will now continue to do so into 2021.
The social media frenzy! 
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