In 2021, we’ve seen that online events are becoming increasingly more common, with social media platforms propelling them into the mainstream. But will online events truly be the way large groups of people gather, even after Covid-19?
The events industry has been forced to reinvent itself after finding itself, alongside tourism, to be one of the most affected industries in the wake of COVID-19. According to a study by Pollstar in 2020, the live-events industry lost upwards of $30 billon during the pandemic—and this number is still growing. In Spain alone, the Spanish Music Federation reported to have closed 2020 with €1 billion in losses.
During the global lockdown, we were inspired as live events still found a way to take place via social media or streaming platforms. Let’s not forget the charitable online festival organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), “One World, Together at Home” with performing artists such as Lady Gaga, The Killers, The Rolling Stones. Or the Spanish version, “Yo me quedo en casa”, which was held on Instagram with artists such as Rozalén, Sofía Ellar or Marvan.
Digitization has allowed this industry to stay active, albeit in a different format. Although online versions of our favorite events cannot be compared to normal activities prior to the COVID-19 crisis, these types of innovations have started to open us up to endless possibilities and the potential to bring people from all over the globe together at the click of a button. This is where social media comes into play; it’s a perfect tool for communicating, promoting and as we have learned this year, for holding online events. According to Facebook Live’s data, users comment up to 10 times more on a live video—real time interaction increases and active online communities come together to make virtual connections.
This “boom” in live content was triggered by the pandemic, with platforms like LinkedIn Live, Facebook Live or Instagram Live gaining popularity as the world raced to find ways to keep connected. But this race is not over yet: the arrival of new live, audio-only platforms such as ClubHouse, Twitter Spaces, or the recent Instagram innovation “Live Rooms”, where up to 4 people can be invited to speak live, or the undeniable rise of Twitch are prime examples of the new direction that content like this is moving in.
It’s still too early to speculate if the events industry will settle into online formats or livestreamed content, or if the future lies in more of a hybrid format. As it stands, the live events industry is still seeking to return to normality, but will artists and consumers get too comfortable with virtual events? We will keep you informed and, for now, we’ll leave you with some of the other newest trends from this week:
Soon we will be able to send messages and make calls between Facebook and Instagram. In other words, Messenger users will be able to video chat and send messages directly to Instagram or vice versa.
TELEGRAM
You can now schedule your messages to automatically delete in Telegram.
Instagram updates its functionality with Live Rooms. This feature will allow up to four people to broadcast themselves live.
Paid content on Twitter has arrived. The new “Super Followes” feature allows users to charge others to see their tweets.