The increase in media consumption in 2020

The internet during the Covid-19 pandemic has seen some stark changes.

Internet media consumption has risen dramatically and social media use increased on the most popular websites by 20 percent according to The New York Times.

On top of that, conspiracy theories, more specifically the Q-Anon theory, gained mass popularity amid the pandemic according to Dan Olsen of Folding Ideas.

Schools now use video conferencing apps like Zoom and Google Meets to host classes. College and K-12 students alike report paying less attention to class and struggling to get homework done.

According to Whitehall School District teachers, rewriting their entire curriculum for the new online courses is strenuous and difficult.

Among all this high traffic, social media is under scrutiny for allowing false news and conspiracies to be posted freely and even take up ad-space. The House also reports that Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook have severe monopolies that need attention.

Video syncing websites like Kast and Houseparty noted a monumental boom of almost double the users. News websites received a 75 percent increase in traffic. Video game streaming websites witnessed a monumental boost in viewers while sports have been seeing a steady decline according to The New York Times.

The internet is now more lively and more mainstream than ever. It only seems that the internet will keep growing exponentially as this pandemic hits it's seventh month of being in our lives.