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With the onset of a highly unforeseeable social-distancing era to counteract the spread of covid19, a large number of individuals are imposed to stay back at home for over 48 hours straights on an average. Despite being a necessity at this hour of a worldwide health crisis, it might do more harm than good for a few. This bolt-hole of indefinite self-quarantine might be the new normal but as an experiment, it could be mortifying at first. A frost fell upon everything. This contagion stopped a 27 year MBA student from getting his daily morning coffee from the corner café, a 67-year-old from getting his lottery ticket from the bodega right across the street, a 42-year-old from his morning run.
From an evolution perspective, aren’t we lucky to go through this mass withdrawal in the prevalence of the internet? Thank God for companies manifesting a sense of proximity through their sites, apps, and extensions during a time when it is intractable to feel trapped, disconnected and frustrated.
Distance not Disconnect with these apps that are helping people keep their social life alive while stuck at home:
1. Video Call + More
Zoom, Google Hangout, Skype: Use these apps to not only connect with your colleagues for work meetings but also to watch a movie, a stand-up comedy or conduct an event inviting a panelist from your LinkedIn connections.
Houseparty: Regardless of all the controversies related to this app about rumors of accounts being hacked right after downloading it, this is a fantastic and one of the most creatives ones in the market that lets users play various games with friends and friends of friends. In fact, don't be surprised if a stranger unknowingly pops into your screen while you're talking to your friend. The stranger, of course, has to be a friend of a friend. This one day (probably last Friday, but who's keeping track?) I ended up spending 6 hours straight in the app without realizing when my "lunchtime" turned into a virtual "drinking game night".
2. Watch Party!
Gaze, Netflix Party, Watch2Gether, TwoSeven: These sites and extensions allow you to sync streaming movies, tv-series, concerts, documentaries together so you and your friends can each enjoy a "The Bachelor" night together eating popcorn, drinking wine and exchanging comments for every time a funny scene is played on screen.
3. Community building
Slack, Facebook Groups, Discord: "Groups" are the new avenues for growing a community of like-minded people with the same interest in a certain topic, forging link-building and online relationships through sharing opinions, asking advice and interacting with members. Finding the right group can be a challenge, but if you know how to leverage from being part of such diverse global groups, you could attain a range of insights and knowledge.
Addressing the coronavirus is a group effort. We are all in this together. We need to help each other to get back on the feat and the onus is on us.
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