- More than 1.4 billion WhatsApp calls made on New Year’s Eve
- Facebook messenger sees the biggest day ever for group video calls in the US
- More than 55 million live broadcasts hosted on Instagram Live, Facebook Live
Against the backdrop of coronavirus and the restrictions imposed by countries to prevent people from gathering openly, people turned to social media apps like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram to connect with each other on New Year’s Eve.
“More than 1.4 billion voice and video calls were made on New Year’s Eve 2020 worldwide, the largest calls ever in a single day on WhatsApp,” said Facebook owner WhatsApp.
The social media giant said WhatsApp saw an increase of more than 50% compared to the same day of 2019.
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It wasn’t just WhatsApp that saw the highest numbers, Facebook messenger saw an increase in usage on New Year’s Eve.
“New Year’s Eve 2020 was the largest ever day for Messenger group video calls (3+ people) in the U.S., with nearly 2X more group video calls on NYE compared to the average day,” he said. Facebook.
While people on Instagram Live and Facebook Live saw more than 55 million live broadcasts worldwide on New Year’s Eve.
The social media giant said the rise in the use of the technology was more likely due to coronavirus infection.
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“In 2020, people turned to technology to keep in touch and do things despite social distance and stay-at-home orders, and video calling is perhaps the most sought-after feature,” Facebook said.
The social media giant described New Year’s Eve as a “historic busy night” for their services, but on the last day of 2020, they saw new records being set.