In the face of a massive corporate-boycott movement, Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has opted to stand his ground, calmly explain that his company is doing everything it can to filter out hate speech and other violations of its terms of use while refusing to go the extra mile and bar certain groups and people from the platform, often simply for espousing conservative views.

Having withstood the endless stream of vitriol, it seems the public is starting to accept that the boycott isn't going to substantially change Facebook's behavior, and SJWs have probably never been angrier.

That's likely to Facebook's benefit because a recent survey just showed that the sharp increase in social media usage during the coronavirus outbreak has likely made Facebook's market-leading ad-targeting technology even more valuable.

According to Kryptoszene.de, since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, 75% of German Internet users have been spending more time on social media. And the three platforms seeing the biggest benefit are all owned by Facebook: WhatsApp, Instagram, and of course Facebook.

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The proportion of those spending more time in social media is highest among 16-29-year-olds. Here, 86% report that the Corona crisis has given their media consumption a boost. Yet even among 50-64 year-olds, 74% are stepping up their use of social media platforms.

According to the study, Facebook user numbers climbed by almost one million almost immediately after lockdown restrictions were adopted in March. In the same month, 38.35 million Germans were active on the platform, compared to 37.43 million the previous month.

FB shares are being rewarded for this good fortune, a trend that could very well continue: Google search volumes for the company's securities reached an annual high: the Google trend score for "Facebook shares" is currently at 94, with a value of 100 representing the highest possible demand.

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Moreover, the biggest increases in engagement have been seen among the younger cohorts of the population.

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With Germany leading the US by a month or more in terms of the progression of the virus, this could portend that Facebook shares might continue to outperform as the US struggles to suppress the outbreak in the sun belt.