Social Distance Gatherings

Bars have closed their doors, Dine-in restaurants have put up their chairs, and social life throughout much of the country has come to a grinding halt. COVID-19 has put the world in a precarious position, where social isolation is the new normal and society is looking for ways to jump the hurdle. Orange County residents Joseph and Claudine Sidhom and a few of their cousins found a way around the obstacle of social isolation by using a video app called Zoom. The Sidhom cousins gathered around their computer screens, all cozy in their sweatpants on a casual Wednesday night with bottles of wine, beer, and anything they could drink, to share a long-awaited happy hour with their family members in late March 2020. Multiple conversations buzzed throughout the group as cousins busied themselves with multiplayer video games and shared the news with one another. Joseph and two of his cousins preoccupied themselves with the popular game Animal Crossing New Horizons, which launched that month. The virtual connection was more about being together and finding a semblance of normality in a time where the modern world is in an unprecedented health crisis. “I hadn’t been completely isolated yet, it felt like a bunch of people [just] hanging out,” said Claudine. Sidhom and her brother are both in the accounting field and are considered essential workers, along with three of their cousins who are a part of the medical field. While the cousins may not be feeling completely isolated, the stress of potential exposure and isolation from their social activities called for a much-needed break from reality. The Sidhoms are making the most of the situation and have been able to use this time to connect with their family across the country who they would normally not get the opportunity to connect with. “Honestly, it’s fun, we get to talk to our cousins more and interact

with cousins that live in San Francisco and New York,” Joseph said. “They told us about the virus in their cities, and we talked about life.” Stay-at-home orders had been put in place throughout 42 U.S. states and the District of Columbia throughout March and February 2020. The stay-at-home order in California was put into effect on March 19 until further notice in the hopes of slowing the spread of the virus, with health officials imposing limits on people to essential outings like grocery shopping and doctor visits. Throughout this global health crisis, companies have been looking for ways to encourage people to stay in their homes by finding ways for them to remain connected with the outside world. Zoom has taken over as a new trend among families, friends, schools, and jobs, as people look for ways to stay connected with one another through this time of social isolation. Data Journalist Felix Richter with Statista reported that Zoom users jumped from just under five million users in February 2020 to 26.9 million users in the month of March. Zoom is a ‘freemium’ video app that allows for over 100 users to participate in a video call at any one time. For calls over 40 minutes, users have to pay $14.99 a month. Companies and schools are happily paying the premium to continue their regular business and continue classes as necessary. Zoom jumped to no. 10 in Apple’s free iOS apps followed by Facebook Messenger at no. 11. Messenger can hold up to 32 people in one video call, making it another popular choice for friend groups who want to get together virtually. Given the current circumstances, another popular video app Google Hangout is offering free premium services through July 1 to encourage people to stay home and stay connected with loved ones. Aside from video chatting services, other companies are jumping behind the push to offer apps that provide social connection in order to encourage people to stay at home throughout the duration of this global health crisis. Even Netflix released their Party App, allowing users to host remote movie nights with friends and family. This might mean “Netflix and chill” could take on new meaning as users are literally sitting around remotely chilling with friends to watch their favorite movies and television shows. The app matches up video playback and provides a group chat that watchers

can use to keep up with their friends and chime in with their thoughts and opinions. The app is a google chrome extension and can be downloaded for free through the browser. Other apps are offering social connections through online games. Tabletopia is a website that offers over 800 free board games that can be played online with friends. Remote game nights are definitely becoming a new trend as users look to break the monotony and loneliness of social isolation. A perfect example would be the game Catan, which allows you to shittalk your friends virtually. Another website, Date Night in Box, offers a creative way to stay connected in your relationship by offering packaged ‘date nights’ during this time.

Couples can go online and sign up to receive date night boxes through their website that range from HGTV style projects to dinner and dancing in the comfort of their own homes. The hope is that if date night is delivered to your home you won’t feel the need to go out and expose yourself or others to the virus, and maybe lower the divorce rate that is about to skyrocket after isolation is over. Ultimately, social distancing is forcing users to get creative in order to stay connected with friends and family. Technology gives people around the world to connect with their loved ones virtually or finding online sources that give the opportunity for creative outlets.

The Photo Credits: Claudine Sidhom & Catalina Garcia point is to stay as connected as possible and to support one another throughout this time of social isolation. The Sidhoms are using this time to stay connected with their family across the United States through happy hours, multiplayer video games, and loads of hours clocked in on video messaging apps. While this is not their first choice and they would much rather be out and about in the social world, sometimes sitting down in your den in sweatpants with a bottle of wine and some virtual company can be a good alternative to complete isolation. “It is an alternative,” Claudine said. “Would I purposely choose to Zoom again after quarantine? No. Do I understand? Yes. Do I like it? No. [But] it is a good way to stay connected.”