By Mimi Granell

Since the dawn of interwebbery, we’ve been continually attempting to stay afloat in a sea of information, images and opinions. 2020, it can be argued, was the year that opened the floodgates, surrounding us in more digital content than ever before. 

According to Statista research, last year 48% of people consumed more live TV as a result of Coronavirus, a further 40% spent more time on social media and 32% read more news content. These findings indicate that as a population we’ve undergone a shift in our media consumption habits. Journalist John Koetsier highlights that this behaviour change is mirrored on a global scale, with people’s  “average daily time spent consuming content” increasing from “just over three hours” to just shy of seven.

In March of last year, there was a lull in new content, as individuals and industries endeavoured to figure out ways to continue working in line with the new restrictions. During this interlude, online streaming services Netflix and Disney+ were thriving. Netflix’s database of TV shows, movies and documentaries, enabled them to surpass the obstacles created by Coronavirus. Disney+ bombarded fans with an abundance of nostalgic films and TV shows, and subsequently achieved staggering subscription numbers as people craved new content.

Unlike Netflix and Disney+, countless individuals, organisations and industries suffered from the repercussions of the pandemic. A collaborative article by Telegraph journalists Sophie Smith, Josh Wilson and Joe Curtis forecast a collective 200,000 job losses by the end of the year, with the retail, travel, hospitality and arts sectors taking a huge hit. 

For content creators, 2020 was the year they were faced with an ultimatum; innovate and adapt or become obsolete.

YouTubers adapted their content ideas to fit staying at home, like Grace Booth (AKA Grackle. 391,000 subscribers) that turned her head into a 3D cake.  TV production companies utilised video-conferencing technology, as the likes of  David Tennant and Michael Sheen created the comedy series ‘Staged’ from their houses. Phoebe Waller-Bridge performed a one-woman rendition of ‘Fleabag’ to raise donations for those affected by Coronavirus (donations went to the National Emergency Trust,  the NHS Charities Together, Acting for Others and the Fleabag Support Fund). 

Since the rise of user-generated content, everybody and their cat can technically be a creator, if you don’t believe me just search ‘Grumpy Cat’. But, whilst everyone can create content, who is leaving a lasting impression due to their genuine influence?

Creators can be traced back throughout humankind’s history; from Neanderthals illustrating their cave walls, to pro-female suffrage propaganda. Their influence exceeded their own eras, now they pinpoint and elucidate monumental moments in history for us. Thus 2020’s most significant creators reflected aspects of the year from Coronavirus and the climate crisis, to racism and gender inequality. 

In 2020, my attention was dedicated to Joe Wicks and Mona Eltahawy. 

Joe Wicks is the man with unfathomable energy reserves, who assumed the role of the World’s PE teacher back in March, 2020 (I know, it feels like both 6 weeks and 6 million years ago). 

For 13 weeks he got us off our sofas and working up a sweat. He dominated YouTube and Instagram with his ‘PE with Joe’ workouts for kids. But, his popularity grew as his audience diversified to include fitness beginners, seniors and everyone in-between. What began as an opportunity to give parents a 30-minute break every day soon became a family affair. He promoted the importance of exercise on your physical and mental well-being; a much-needed focus as the pandemic exacerbated the UK’s mental health crisis. In the first UK lockdown, Joe filmed a staggering 78 ‘PE with Joe’ workouts, but as we enter our third he’s back and ready to get us moving. 

Meanwhile, across the pond, is Mona Eltahawy. Mona is a feminist author, social commentator and confessed “disruptor of patriarchy”. Mona’s influence transcends 2020, and she has become a prominent figure in the discussion of feminism and gender issues. (In 2019, following the success of her first book ‘Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution’ (2015), she published  ‘The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls’.)  

Amid the actual-viral turmoil of 2020, Mona began the ‘Feminist Gant’, a free email newsletter intent on discussing global feminism. Mona addresses the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on women and encourage the circulation of feminist knowledge regardless of people’s socio-economic limitations. 

Other memorable creators in my 2020 included: Gina Martin, Rickey Thompson, and John Krasinski (Some Good News). 

Who were the content creators sculpting your 2020?