BY NELSON LANE

AS THE DUST CONTINUES TO SETTLE from the far-reaching impacts of the past three years that saw work , travel and daily life turned on their heads , we are beginning to see a widespread theme of returning to the pre-pandemic status quo . Executives are catalyzing a return to the office ; travelers are returning to airports and resorts ; live music lovers are returning ( in droves ) to concerts and events ; the list goes on . However , one phenomenon is not going to return to the way it was before the madness began in March of 2020 , and that is the now overwhelming prevalence of the online consumer .

According to HubSpot ’ s 2022 Social Media Trends report , over half a billion more people are using social media worldwide now than at the same time in 2021 . That is a nearly 14 percent year-over-year increase , the likes of which have never been seen before in such a short amount of time . Business owners and operators must now pay more attention than ever to how people are engaging online and what influence their habits , tendencies and preferences ought to have on marketing strategy moving forward .

THE TIKTOK TAKEOVER When it comes to record-breakers , few athletes , businesses or social media platforms can compete with the astounding rise and continued domination of TikTok . HubSpot

48 PULSE ⁿ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022