- The Stream Report
- Posts
- Video Chatting Goes Mainstream During COVID-19
Video Chatting Goes Mainstream During COVID-19
Video Chatting Goes Mainstream During COVID-19
April 28, 2020
Stuck at home without much socialization, it appears almost everyone that can is now video chatting with friends and family. But who is video chatting the most, and what trends have emerged?Last week, we published the results of a survey on social video chatting habits and found out exactly how COVID-19 is changing the video chatting landscape.
Streamer's Spotlight: Video Chatting Trends During a Global Pandemic
The global pandemic sparked quarantine and stay-at-home orders by political leaders worldwide, creating a secondary panic as many people realized they wouldn't be indefinitely restrained from socializing in-person.
Thankfully, video chatting infrastructure was already well-developed by the time social distancing orders went into effect. But just who is spending their time video chatting, and what services are they using?
Gen Z Is Video Chatting the Most
Perhaps the most unsurprising finding was that Generation Z (those born between 1995 and 2015) spend the most time video chatting. As the only true digital native generation born and raised in high-tech environments, we found those in this generation are spending an average of 3.05 hours per day video chatting.
The mean for all generations is 2.56, which is consequently the average for Millennials, as well. The other two generations shared a lot in common. Both Gen X and Boomers were spending an average of 2.23 hours per day video chatting.
We also found most respondents were video chatting at least twice a week, although (again, no big surprise here), Gen Z is twice as often at 4 times per week.
FaceTime Wins for User Satisfaction, but Zoom for Big Groups
When it comes to personal chats, most people appear to prefer FaceTime. The app scored highest in user satisfaction ratings with a 8.07 out of 10. Google Hangouts was the least preferred, scoring just 6.98.
Despite the controversy over Zoombombing, which we found just over 5% of Zoom users have experienced, Zoom was second in satisfaction ratings with a 7.78.
When it comes to chatting in groups, Zoom was also the clear winner. The median number of users per Zoom call was 6, compared to just 2 for FaceTime.
Almost Nothing New Under the Sun — Except for Zoom
Almost every video chatting service people are using during quarantine is one they've used before. There are some exceptions though, chiefly, Zoom. We found 41% of respondents said they used Zoom before stay-at-home orders, but 55% said they first used it during the new normal.
Meanwhile, Skype was the biggest loser in the before/during battle. It dropped 8 percentage points among people who said they used Skype before quarantine orders and during quarantine orders.
Find Out More Video Chatting Insights
Those weren't the only video chatting tidbits we found. To learn more about just how much time people are spending on video chatting with each service, how scared people are about being Zoombombed, and just which generation is dancing with friends on video chats,
.
This Week's Streaming Guide
1. 'A Parks and Recreation Special' to Air this Thursday
And you thought
Parks and Rec
was over? The entire cast is back for a social distancing special this Wednesday at 8:30 PM on NBC. -
2. New Crime Drama 'The Victims' Game' Hits Netflix this Friday
Utilizing a key character trait found formulated in the hit show
The Good Doctor,
The Victims' Game
follows a cop on the autism spectrum attempting to connecting the dots between his estranged daughter and a serious of mysterious murders. -
3. Sci-Fi Drama 'Into the Sun' Premiers Saturday on Netflix
A hijacked plane races to beat the sun as a strange cosmic event wreaks havoc on the ground below. -
4. 'Rick and Morty' Returns this Sunday
The team returns to TV this Sunday with five more original episodes. Watch on Adult Swim starting at 11:30 PM on May 3. -
News and Industry Developments
1. Verizon Lost 84,000 Customers in Q1 2020
Cord-cutting has hit Verizon hard as it lost 84,000 customers amid the coronavirus pandemic. -
2. AT&T Continues to Crumble
The company lost 897,000 cable TV subscribers and 138,000 streaming subscribers in Q1 2020, marking a 7th consecutive quarter for subscriber losses. -
3. Netflix Says It's Not Out of New Content for 2020
Production has halted on most TV productions, but Netflix is promising its subscribers that it won't run out of new content for 2020. -
4. Disney Moving 'Artemis Fowl' to Disney+ Could be Bad News
While it's a good move for Disney+ subscribers, it might not be the best for the movie's future. -
This Month's Featured Stream
The best of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. From new releases, to your favorite classics, and exclusive Originals, there's always something new to discover for all ages at $6.99/mo.
Reply