Coronavirus: 87% increase in social media usage amid lockdown; Indians spend 4 hours on Facebook, WhatsApp

Amid the lockdown, Indians have turned to social media to pass their time. In the first week of lockdown, Indians spent more than four hours every day on social media. This is a 87 per cent increase from a week before lockdown.

Before the lockdown, social media usage was on average 150 minutes per day. However, in the first week of lockdown, the figures jumped to 280 minutes per day, showed a survey. The survey added that 75 per cent people were spending more time on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp compared to the week before. In social media, people were largely consuming news and communicating with their friends and families as coronavirus grappled the country.

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Besides, television, internet browsing and streaming platform have also seen a rise in viewership, according to the survey. Internet browsing saw a 72 per cent spike during the first week of lockdown.

The survey, conducted by Hammerkopf Consumer Survey, also found the prime time for streaming platforms began at 7 pm in the first-week of lockdown. Seventy six per cent of people said they watch TV in the morning between 8 am and 9 am. The survey was conducted across 1,300 people, in Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Chennai.

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