In a crisis situation, it may be more pertinent to focus on the present rather than the future. The future can look awfully far away when you’re dealing with the day-to-day changes that seem to keep popping up.
However, what the future may show us is that this virus, as well as our response to it, fundamentally changed how we live our lives, conduct business, and interact with each other going forward.
What I’m thinking of specifically is the dissemination of information across the internet, how we can utilize it more efficiently for education, business, and entertainment, and what that flow of data will look like.
Comcast report usage up 32 percent on March 30th. Gaming platform Steam saw traffic up 25 percent since February. Internet conferencing and preferencing a computer over a cell phone have also increased during this shutdown.
I believe that once the country is able to revert to more normal circumstances, we’ll see some interesting data regarding how the internet is being used, at least in the short term. Many are learning new tricks for their computers, including video conferencing and distance learning.
Additionally, people are going to want to spend time together. More than they had previously. While some introverts may find this time in seclusion refreshing (I count myself among them), the whole will likely feel a push towards renewed intimacy. Maybe dinner table conversations without a cellphone screen.
One idea I’ve always loved is that of a salon, “a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation.”
Maybe when we reopen, you’ll consider hosting a salon-style party, sharing stories of all you learned online while you were staying home.
Michael's Musings 