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Social Media and the Pandemic: Consumption Habits of the Spanish Population before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown

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  • Diego Gudiño

    (Departamento de Ciencias de la Educación, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain)

  • María Jesús Fernández-Sánchez

    (Departamento de Ciencias de la Educación, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain)

  • María Teresa Becerra-Traver

    (Departamento de Ciencias de la Educación, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain)

  • Susana Sánchez

    (Departamento de Psicología y Antropología, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain)

Abstract

The confinement of the Spanish population due to the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a change in patterns of electronic device usage, leading to an increase in internet traffic. This study sought to evaluate the use of social media by the Spanish population before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. An extensive ad hoc questionnaire was prepared and distributed to a total of 397 people of different ages from different Spanish provinces. The questionnaire was previously validated and was found to be reliable. The results showed that during the lockdown, the most frequently used social networks were WhatsApp and Facebook, although others, such as Telegram and TikTok, also experienced a significant increase in user registrations. There was also an increase in the number of hours spent per week using social media, especially Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube, to share images, videos and audio messages, with a significant increase in document sharing and knowledge acquisition. The final section discusses some of the results and concludes by highlighting the importance of analyzing social behavior in times of crisis in order to design more effective and personalized communication strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Diego Gudiño & María Jesús Fernández-Sánchez & María Teresa Becerra-Traver & Susana Sánchez, 2022. "Social Media and the Pandemic: Consumption Habits of the Spanish Population before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5490-:d:807923
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kaya, Tugberk, 2020. "The changes in the effects of social media use of Cypriots due to COVID-19 pandemic," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
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    1. Krystyna Mazurek-Lopacinska & Magdalena Sobocinska, 2022. "The Role of Social Media in Firms’ Marketing Communication in the Polish Market," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(3), pages 216-234.
    2. Ismael Salamah Albursan & Mohammad Farhan Al. Qudah & Hafidha Sulaiman Al-Barashdi & Salaheldin Farah Bakhiet & Eqbal Darandari & Sumayyah S. Al-Asqah & Heba Ibraheem Hammad & Mohammed M. Al-Khadher &, 2022. "Smartphone Addiction among University Students in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevalence, Relationship to Academic Procrastination, Quality of Life, Gender and Educational Stage," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-15, August.

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