by 
Kate Richards
In March of 2020 all of our world’s got turned upside down as school and businesses shut down and we had to learn what the term social distancing really meant. It felt lonely, but social media took on a whole new level of keeping people connected as trends upon trends popped up to keep people entertained and up to date on what was going on in their friends’ lives.
One app that grew rapidly during the pandemic was TikTok. There was a 180 percent growth among 15-25 year old users after the pandemic started. It seemed almost everyone was on the app and since the TikTok algorithm allows users to easily see videos from all over the world, it was a great diversion from what was going on in reality. It helped to be able to see we weren’t in this unprecedented time alone. Trends popped up and spread like wildfire, from making whipped coffee to millions of videos talking about Netflix’s hit show Tiger King, which even went as far as a Tiger King and Carol Baskin edit of Megan thee Stallion’s song, Savage that people were dancing to. These trends were a great escape from reality, and made everyone feel a little bit more connected in a time of isolation and loneliness.
Instagram is another app that had trend after trend popping up in 2020, mostly with the goal of connecting with friends and bringing people together. There was the bingo card trend, where Instagram users would post digital bingo cards to their stories and their friends could fill them out. It started as a social distancing bingo trend, but many people picked it up and put their own spin on it. There was even a University of Oregon bingo card, where students could mark off activities they had done during their time at UO. Another popular trend on Instagram was the “Until Tomorrow” trend where users would post an ugly, awkward or embarrassing photos of themselves and leave it up for 24 hours. The trend took Instagram over for a few days, and it was a great way to get in a laugh when not much was going on outside of the social media world.
Social media also brought out a whole new side of sharing information during the Covid-19 pandemic. Helpful information, as well as a lot of misinformation was spread on almost every platform from Tiktok to Instagram to Facebook to Twitter. Users were making videos and sharing infographics about every current event with little to no fact checking in a way that had never really happened before. As we slowly return to normal, people continue to spread information at a rapid pace across social media platforms, and it will be interesting to see the effects of this in the future.
I found this article very interesting because the pandemic enhanced social media rapidly to a point where it became a focus in our lives. It felt good to stay connected however, I think it depends on who you followed and what they posted. Some people were very transparent about their struggles during the pandemic and others were posting as if nothing happened. I found myself spending too much on social media and comparing myself to others. However, I enjoyed how this article discussed how social media was used as a great resource for information about COVID-19 or other world events. I also think people became more creative on social media and started using it as a platform to share hobbies or art rather than social.
I think that this article is very well spoken. I like how you talked about the different trends that were going on when Covid first hit as a sense that we were all in this together. I believe that social media was a very good presence that we all had to enjoy together, yet I think apps like Tik Tok only really included the Gen Z generation. I am not implying that this is a bad thing yet I wonder how the parents coped with the cons of Covid as I don’t believe that they all had Tik Tok downloaded. I do agree with what you are saying about this article and think you have many positive points to share. Well Done!
I agree that social media was a great way to help people keep some sense of human connection during the pandemic. I do wonder if apps like Tik Tok would still be this popular today if the pandemic didn’t happen. So much was posted and created during that time, and I feel like it has had a bigger impact on society and individual mental health than we realize. However, as you mention, it definitely has had a variety of positive effects that really helped people during such strange times. Thanks for sharing!
Your post made me to reminisce right now. I totally agree with you on the fact that social media, to a great extent, made life easier at the peak of the pandemic. For example, Facebook and TikTok provided us new connections and eliminated the boredom that would have potentially “killed” many. While social media were beneficial, let us not forget that these platforms also fuelled anxiety and made many to lose hope. I remember feeling at a point that we were all going to die because of the scenes of dead bodies, possibly caused by misinformation, etc. However, in general, social media helped us to connect with people around the world, which was beneficial.
Hey Kate,
Really good article on summarizing how social media apps helped us through the COVID-19 pandemic. It is interesting to see how the trends such as “Until Tomorrow” and the bingo cards are some of the little things that we remember during early pandemic. I also think it is interesting to see how much of an impact TikTok had during the pandemic.
Fantastic article. I think that social media skyrocketed throughout the pandemic, and it also became a way for brands to connect to their audience. I feel like TikTok was my most-used social media platform during the pandemic because it created a sense of community through social media trends. I saw many brands become more engaging throughout the pandemic on social media, and it was encouraging to see brands creating mini-communities on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
Hi Kate,
I loved reading your blog as it brought back many trends to my memory that I thought I had forgotten about. Personally, those TikTok trends consumed my days, as it was the purest form of entertainment at that time, but hearing the app had a 180% growth rate is crazy to me. I think that these apps were a good form of distraction in the moment given the current situation, but there is also much concern that they will continue to take over our timelines and only pull us deeper into the social media realm where people are only connecting online and no longer as much in person.