Internet usage has skyrocketed throughout this period as people look for a way to entertain themselves. Entertainment outlets include streaming sites such as Netflix, which have received hikes in traffic, and search queries. This also includes gif usage, which allows people to express themselves when they communicate. Giphy has seen the usage of its GIFs rise 33% over the past month.
The company said in a blog post:
“Giphy is a natural form of expression for these digital conversations. As such, our data has become a barometer for how people are feeling and choosing to express themselves … While we have seen searches for ‘coronavirus’ increase significantly over the past month, we have also seen positivity and encouragement take flight on Giphy.”
Searches related to working from home skyrocketed by nearly 35 times compared with previous months. There was also data suggesting changes in daily routine. Searches that were previously prone to morning or evening surges were more evenly distributed throughout the day.
Searches for sleep, conversely, were down, which Giphy attributed to the lack of commuting.
People are also consuming more content than ever, and there is plenty of evidence in Giphy’s search data. They found that searches related to television and entertainment were seeing massive spikes.
As for the elephant in the room, Giphy said searches for events such as International Woman’s Day dominated the beginning of March, with only minimal searches related to the coronavirus, but by the week of March 9, when quarantine orders began emerging, terms related to the coronavirus led Giphy.