As the pandemic has swept the globe and many of us have all been in lockdown, there has been a notable shift in the kind of content we are consuming. During this strange period of human history, we’ve faced a kind of existence that we never thought possible.

The idea of being in a situation where you can’t leave your house was unfathomable to many of us prior to COVID-19, and as such the adjustment period has been hard for many. Research has shown that we’ve all been consuming more content to entertain and distract ourselves in 2020, and we’ve been wanting to see positivity and self-improvement content more than ever.

We’re looking at why this is the case, and whether self-development and improvement creators are set to continue their success post-COVID.

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The Shift From Self-Loathing To Self-Development

In 2020, we’ve all had a lot more time on our hands. At first, we all started eating more takeaways, exercising less, and using the lockdown downtime to binge-watch our favourite series on Netflix.

However, as COVID-19 has dragged on and on, many people have quickly done a U-turn on their initial slob out and relax strategy. After a month or so, we all realised that too much of a good thing can be bad and it became time to start trying to improve ourselves during the pandemic as opposed to giving in completely.

This has meant that self-development creators have had a moment in 2020, and their fitness videos, inspirational speeches, and stories of self-improvement have given us all the motivation and hope that we need during this stagnant phase.

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How Are Self Development Creators Helping Us?

There have been some interesting figures from a recent study conducted by Global Web Index regarding how we’ve been consuming content during COVID and what we’ve been wanting to see more of.

The study found that 87% of U.S. and 80% of U.K. respondents said that they are consuming more content since the outbreak, and 70% of those looking for non-COVID news are looking for positivity in the content they consume.

Self-development creators fulfill this need to feel positive, improve ourselves, and feel as though we are still achieving something during this period. As we’ve struggled to leave behind our normal lives that used to consist of interacting with others at work, dating people, and seeing family and friends, we have all been forced to look inwards for stimulation.

Millennials, in particular, are championing this change, with studies showing that millennials are some of the most concerned with self-help, and are more interested in improving their mental health (30%), learn a new skill (29%), or get fit (24%) than finding love (12%) in 2020.

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Will Self-Development Content Be Favourable Beyond 2020?

In short, yes. The self-development industry is bigger than ever and has been growing year on year, with a spike of growth due to COVID-19. The self-development market is estimated to grow to $13.2 billion by 2022 with 5.6% average yearly gains.

This means that self-development creators will continue to gain exposure and become more popular as the aftermath of COVID-19 stretches on. Consumers need more positive, self-improvement content than ever and social media creators are able to give us the short-form content that is feel-good and easily digestible.