How Covid-19 is spreading through social media trends and research and driving traffic

Not everything you read on the internet is true, but it is true that social networks have an important role as a vehicle for disseminating information, even if they are not always factual. Common sense is needed when looking for information, and traffic around the world on research on the subject has skyrocketed in recent weeks.

But there is another phenomenon that is taking place on social networks, the awareness actions of the users themselves, warning their friends and family. If some people just share memes or messages from others, there are even those who are inspired by common sense and write tips for staying at home. There are practical examples of people who refer to the measures they have taken, others who deselect holidays or visits to concerts as a precaution. And there is now an official hashtag: #IStayHome, shared by entities, personalities and of course, anonymous users, in a movement that has spread in Italy.

At SAPO, the network's sites "had an increase in sessions over 30%, with sites that grew at around 100%", says Filipa Martins, director of SAPO. "About 10% of the total consumption of news content was related to the pandemic, as a result of the Portuguese's demand to keep up to date with Covid-19 and the measures taken and care to be taken both on an official level and on a personal level" .

At SAPO Lifestyle, which followed this pandemic issue from the health point of view, about half of the audience sought content related to issues related to Covid-19, says Filipa Martins, adding that, generally on SAPO websites, the most Visas are related to the pandemic.

In Google trends, Coronavirus is the most searched word, and in the case of Portugal, in Lisbon where it has a peak of 100, that is, the maximum interest. More specifically, Oeiras, the location of the district where the most research on the topic is being researched. This is followed by Porto and Coimbra in the 90 points, Bragana and Setbal in 80. In the related queries, according to the words searched, the Portuguese want to know the state of the coronavirus in Portugal and the symptoms.

tek trends

In the United States, associated with the pandemic, it also triggered related keywords in Google's trends, namely related to measures to be taken. Hand sanitizer solutions lead research without question, followed by masks, hand washing and social distancing.

According to data from Sprinklr, an analyst specializing in measuring trends in social networks, quoted by Vox Recode, almost 20 million men were registered with terms related to the coronavirus, only on March 11. In comparison, the mention of Trump did not exceed 4 million on the same day, and the cancellation of the NBA only 2 million in that period.

tek Sprinklr (C) Sprinklr

All social networks are registering more traffic, not least because many companies are adopting teleworking, which forces them to find alternative forms of communication between the teams. As of next week, schools will close and many companies open to the public will decrease their activity. All of this contributes to an overload on social networks, as there will be more people at home using the internet.