I honestly can't imagine this lockdown going this well, if it weren't for high-speed internet, social media channels, and video-conferencing options! (and I shudder to think what would happen should the internet collapse)
Ok, true that there are quite a few people out there who either don't have internet (don't want / can't afford) or are familiar enough with the options to make the most out of it, but I'd say a majority of the locked-in populations in Europe DO have a decent broadband connection, 4G on their smartphones (for when the wifi doesn't work), and know how to use them (or have someone to explain it) well enough to do video calls using FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, Viber or whatever else is out there. Some of these can also be used for group calls, or people can set up online meeting rooms in Zoom, AdobeConnect, Google Hangout or Meet etc. We've also got text and video messages flying at us from all directions (to the point we've all received a forward that recommends reducing the sending of video messages to not collapse or dramatically slow down the service with heavy files).
Feeling a bit lonely or isolated? Just pull out your device and video call a friend. Video, not voice! Nothing really substitutes the face to face, but "virtual" face to face can help. Since this lockdown started 2 weeks ago I've had a video chat with my mom (who lives 15' away) almost every day (interspersed with regular voice calls), several video calls with my sisters overseas, video calls with individual friends and several group hangouts. In fact in these two weeks I have probably spent more time hanging out and chatting with friends than in the past two months! Were we really all too busy before? Or did we just not make it a priority? Now we are each other's lifelines... Company for when we're feeling lonely, an audience to crack jokes with, therapists when we need to complain or commiserate about whatever... Our second day locked in I had a 5-way Skype call with close friends in Spain, Belgium, France and Austria. Last Sunday I had a 90' FaceTime call with a friend in San Diego.
Just now I was hanging out on Google Meet in an "After Work" space set up by one of my colleagues so any of us who feel like it can meet up on Friday evenings and just ramble on about whatever with a beer (or alternate beverage) in our hands. My beverage of choice has been a lovely Port that I bought during a work trip to Portugal two years ago and hadn't opened yet and am now reserving for my quarantine Friday evenings. The guys so far seem to be all about the beer. Popcorn has made an appearance. Depending on who joins in we ramble on about our fabulous weekend plans, dissect movies, make armchair politics, share screens and pull up videos on YouTube, play music, or just goof off. Last week we even played a little quizz on the app Kahoot! 🤣 Tonight was 90', last week over 2h... we've been having a blast! Here, let me show you. Last week one of the other did a "boomerang" video of our call on her phone:
Good times! 🥳
Humans are social animals. And even those of us who do enjoy alone time, need to have occasions to connect with others.
#stayhome #quedateencasa #yomequedoencasa #restecheztoi
We've been doing weekly video calls with all the girls in my family and its so much fun. The internet really does make it easier and less lonely. STay safe!
ReplyDeleteVideo calls are a life saver these days!!! Have you been doing the group ones? Can be a bit crazy when several people start talking at once, but even more fun!
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