Enterprise tech gets popularity boost from pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has been a boon to enterprise technology companies that don't typically get as much attention and recognition as their social media counterparts.

Driving the news: Computer, electronics and video companies like Zoom, IBM, Dell, Samsung, Apple and Microsoft lead the way when it comes to consumers' opinion of their ethics, trust and vision, while social networks like Facebook and Twitter lag because of concerns about misinformation, according to a new Axios/Harris 100 poll.

• The poll ranks the top 100 companies, based on consumers' scores across seven qualities: Affinity (trust), citizenship, ethics, culture, vision, growth and products and services. Affinity is weighted higher than all other categories.

Leading the index are companies that have focused on solving problems related to the coronavirus, like grocers and pharmacies. In the tech world, companies that have helped connect people to their loved ones or work remotely also rank well.

• Streaming tech giants, like Netflix, Hulu and Disney, all ranked in the top 25.
• Computer companies like Microsoft, Dell and IBM, as well as computer store Best Buy, all increased their positions within the top 30 spots.
• Video companies like Zoom are also experiencing bumps. Prior to the pandemic, Zoom wasn't even in the top 100 list of companies ranked; now it's No. 28, just one spot behind Apple.
• Social companies like Facebook and Twitter ranked in the bottom 10 of the top 100 list, slightly lower than they did prior to the pandemic. Those companies also ranked in the bottom 10 on qualities like ethics, culture, citizenship and trust.
• Telecom companies like Comcast, AT&T and Charter Communications rank in the bottom 20 of the index.

Between the lines: Companies that toe the line between social media and enterprise, like Google, tend to fare better than pure-play social media companies like Facebook and Twitter.

• Google's reputation score is now slightly higher than it was prior to the pandemic.
• Amazon's remains the same — it has the third-best reputation of all companies.

Go deeper: The pandemic has made big corporations a lot more popular