Insights & Innovation: 2020 Roundup

At the end of April, a month into an unprecedented nationwide lockdown, 67% of people told us that they were concerned that society would be changed permanently. Heading into the last weeks of 2020, it’s apparent that the virus has indeed changed us. Covid-19 has put into question the very fundamentals of “normal” that we’d all come to unthinkingly accept, but despite the disruption, the pandemic has also created a rare opportunity to reflect on our lives and, potentially, to reset them.

To better understand audiences’ new behaviors and shifting sentiments, explore this roundup of all the research our Insights & Innovation team shared this year.

DIGITAL LIVES (AND HOW TO MAKE THEM BETTER)

• Breaking the Algorithm

As much as we have advanced our digital lives to create algorithms to optimize engagement, time spent on site, and drive scale, we have yet to construct algorithms that challenge ourselves to be better to one another.

• Simplicity Leads to Malignancy

Understanding complexity is crucial to all of us understanding each other, but the oversimplification of the information we consume online has led to a regression of empathy. Quality journalism can bridge the gap.

THE FUTURE OF MEDIA

• Why Podcasting Is a Powerful Medium for Any Marketer

The opportunity for marketers to reach audiences on audio. Podcasts deliver trusted and relevant content in a focused, rich, and powerful package, that audiences say they can’t get anywhere else.

• Why Supporting Local Journalism Is Good For Business

Supporting local journalism is incredibly important in building incremental audiences and communities, making for a valuable environment for advertisers to target relevant consumers and drive action.

POWERING PURPOSE

• Why Equality Matters

Gauging the public’s pulse on areas of inequality in America and how Vox Media’s readers and non-Vox Media readers define equality: what issues matter most, expectations of brands, and the role of journalism.

• Vox Media Audiences and the Black Lives Matter Movement in Numbers

Finding universal support among Vox Media audiences for the Black Lives Matter movement— as our readers look for ways to drive action and create lasting change.

• Misinformation in an Era of Disruption

Dissecting the conditions that have enabled misinformation to proliferate, discussing how to overcome the obstacles to consensus, and charting a way forward.

• Credible Context in Journalism

Examining journalism’s role in overcoming the obstacles imposed by rampant misinformation and the actions marketers can take to combat the noise.

CONSUMER TRENDS

• Unprecedented Times and Unprecedented Shopping

Understanding what “normal” means for consumers in terms of their mindset, media consumption, and values.

• 2020: a Year When We Tried New (mostly local) Brands

Vox Media research explores how the pandemic adjusted our current routines and rhythms including how and where we shop.

• The Holidays: A New Marker for Meaning

This holiday season consumers and marketers have adjusted their practices, habits, and attitudes when it comes to creating a cheerful season in an otherwise stressful year.