The Outside View: COVID-19 Has Made Virtual Communities Crucial

We’re now more than halfway through a year none of us will ever forget. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, millions of us have spent months mostly stuck at home, unable to work, shop or travel normally. Away from friends, colleagues, acquaintances and all but immediate family, many of us have turned to the Internet not only for information, shopping and entertainment, but also for social connection. Meanwhile, trust in institutions, the media and advertising has continued to decline amid social unrest. Protests against racial injustice have spread throughout the U.S. and across the globe and hundreds of companies, including apparel, food and beverage, and consumer packaged goods brands, have pulled back from advertising on Facebook in protest over the platform’s policies regarding harmful content, including hate speech. For many brands, these factors are prompting either a rewrite of their brand playbook or the addition of a whole new chapter. With traditional retail channels disrupted, brands are realizing that it is now more important than ever to understand who, exactly, their customers are so they can engage them directly online in more personal and authentic ways. Virtual brand communities — online destinations where a brand’s fans can create and share content with others

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