The coronavirus has confined many of us to our homes as we follow government guidance on social distancing to slow the spread. As a result, we’re spending more of our  time online – communicating with coworkers, Facetiming our families, and searching for recently elusive disinfectant products.

The New York Times recently conducted an analysis of internet usage across the country since the shutdown and concluded that more Americans are shifting their screen-time away from mobile phones to computers and other devices.

From The New York Times:

With nearly all public gatherings called off, Americans are seeking out entertainment on streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, and looking to connect with one another on social media outlets like Facebook.

In the past few years, users of these services were increasingly moving to their smartphones, creating an industrywide focus on mobile. Now that we are spending our days at home, with computers close at hand, Americans appear to be remembering how unpleasant it can be to squint at those little phone screens.

Facebook, Netflix and YouTube have all seen user numbers on their phone apps stagnate or fall off as their websites have grown, the data from SimilarWeb and Apptopia indicates.

Other trends from the report indicate that Americans are turning more toward video chats for work and social conversations, and less toward text and messaging apps.

Those seeking out updates and information about the virus have increased readership for local and established news sources, and decreased attention toward partisan news sites.

“Among the biggest beneficiaries are local news sites, with huge jumps in traffic as people try to learn how the pandemic is affecting their hometowns.”

Above all, the CDC has become the leading source for information on the virus, with millions of readers visiting the site which previously saw very little traffic.

You can read the full article by visiting their website.

The New York Times, like a number of large media outlets, has made a dedicated effort to provide news articles and information related to the coronavirus free to readers, to increase the spread of information.

To read more of their coronavirus coverage, visit their website.