2020 is one crazy year. One after the other, the world has gone through the most bizarre series of events, such as the city-sized forest fires in Australia, Britain leaving the EU, airplane crashes, streaks of celebrity deaths, and now a global pandemic. The world has gone through a tough time this year, and we saw it all unfold on Instagram.

Instagram is a social media titan, with 112.5 million users in the US alone and more than a billion users worldwide. It’s no surprise that the platform is considered a major source of news for its global userbase. However, entertainment is just as big of a content stream as news, if not bigger. Although versatile in its utility, the app was primarily created as a way to entertain and connect users.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the entire world to hit a pause. We’ve had to put our normal lives and routines on hold to contain the wild spread of this deadly contagion. That means staying at home is vital. Most countries have imposed strict lockdown rules to ensure that people do not group together because socialization is the major cause of the spread of the virus.

Since we have been forced to remain indoors for some time, the need to stay connected with the outside world has never seemed so dire. And social media is the ever-present solution to combat the sense of imprisonment.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a surge in the screen times of Instagram users worldwide. Instagram is one of the biggest sources of awareness and information regarding the virus, as well as sources of entertainment and news content for consumption. 

We use Instagram to stay in touch with people we may not be able to meet for a long time. Moreover, Instagram offers us an excellent way to entertain ourselves. Viewing memes, have fun online with friends, creating and uploading lockdown selfies, engaging with Instagram content, meeting new people online, and working to promote our businesses on Instagram are things that keep us engaged and entertained on the social media platform.

Instagram will offer a lot more in terms of marketing opportunities for businesses, career opportunities for influencers, entertainment for users, and shopping opportunities for buyers. The analytical tools will improve and develop to cater to the demands for marketing trends down the line.

There will also be a greater movement against fake followers, which tends to skew and damage marketing results for artists and businesses. Organic follower growth services such as the SimplyGram service will become more commonplace as opposed to bot services.

Marketing has become more dependent on influencers and models. Moreover, photography content has shifted from the professional studio side to the user-generated content side, thanks to the advent of smart mobile devices.

The integration of e-commerce into the platform is another reason why most businesses are turning to Instagram for growth.

The year 2020 is one that many of us will forget for better or worse. But if one thing is certain, it will be the year that cements Instagram as the most popular social media platform on the planet for all the right reasons.