10 Things That Will Never Be The Same Post Coronavirus

It’s virtual first.

While some of us have built entire careers and lives online for the last 2 decades, many of us are just getting used to video calling our medical professionals or better yet, our bosses! All of a sudden the anxieties of talking to someone so intimately yet not familiar with it is easy to slip up and say something regretful.

This meeting could have been a phone call Productivity will be improved for the betterment of everyone’s precious time and energy. Organizing with management software and getting clear with processes will make phone calls feel like board meetings. Office rent will also be thought-about twice if everyone can just work from home.

Virtual workouts are king. In 2015, I used to manage social media for a company called Ballet Beautiful, who’s business model included selling online workouts to ballet fans around the world. I used to get free classes from Peloton when they first opened their studio in New York. At that time, I remember feeling indifferent about working out from home, but keenly aware of the infinite reach. Post corona, virtual workouts will be more popular and safe as people will realize that community gym memberships are not as decent and clean as they are marketed.

Maintaining 6ft of distance to people is now mandatory. According to the CDC, social distancing “means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home.” Thanks to the outbreak of ‘Rona, everyone knows what social distancing means in every language but it doesn’t translate to everyone doing it. The idea of keeping a distance from people just not a concept in the urban community, synonymous with small living quarters, bodega behavior. But we have to get with the program if it means elbow bumping and raising our hand to hearts as the new greeting. That’s cool too. I tried to do this with this guy I know from the streets and he thought it corny but no hugs, please! Mind you, when this exchange happened, I had on a face mask.

The Rona’ switching up how we buy clothes. All of the sudden designers, seamstresses, companies are all about face masks and hand sanitizers and I’m not mad at it. I got my face mask from my cousin, who’s mom is a seamstress for a living and I’ve connected with some entrepreneurs who are selling N95, 5-layer, face masks as a side hustle. I don’t mind getting emails about “WFH style and interior design” because I still use retail therapy as a coping mechanism. Suddenly those furry designer slides don’t seem like a bad idea after all. There’s a luxury in being home, comfy, cozy, and full. Suddenly shopping for the new Chanel sneakers through your favorite dealer’s Instagram stories is no longer reserved for last-minute purchases, but the only way to see what’s new on the shelves of Neiman Marcus.

I won’t be rushing to be around anytime soon. The idea of being up close and personal, like on a crowded train, or an airport, does not seem attractive and many of us aren’t going to be rushing to the movie theaters if there’s a paid streaming version option. Early in quarantine, I was listening to this NPR radio interview about a Senegalese businessman who was isolated in his apartment in three months! He didn’t come outside not once, according to the feature. After China lifted its strict stay at home orders, he wasn’t quick to run outside and enjoy the local park. He told this podcaster that he ventured outdoors around 3 pm and got a slice of pizza. If I were him, I’d still be indoors, skeptical to interact with anyone.

The trauma of corona will be felt on multiple levels. Emotionally drained from even saying, reading, and hearing the word “coronavirus” the trauma of dealing with this virus will forever change our habits. Why is it that the news has to announce celebrities who have tested positive for the virus and broadcast only celebrity deaths due to coronavirus? As the death toll increases by the day and I sit on my couch for another WFH day, it’s daunting to swallow but we have to pay our respects. In New York City, the Empire State Building lights up red every night in honor of the first responders fighting COVID-19. We’ll always wear face masks, we’ll think twice about going to places with large gatherings, the thought of germs will loom in the back of our minds. The thought of being in a dirty bar or a humid concert will feel like a sacrifice more than something we did for fun.

Moving forward, sick days will be treated differently. I was in a regional meeting when I had to excuse myself because that’s how bad I was coughing up my lungs. I couldn’t stop coughing amongst 10 other people packed in this small, airless room focusing on whoever was talking on the video call. Seemingly ignoring me. If I were to cough like that in public now, I probably would be arrested now that going to Duane Reade requires a mask. I hope we can evolve from the days of going to work or going places in general. I hope jobs can be more compassionate

about allowing their employees to take time off, and creating a trustworthy space to do that. In my past positions, I’ve struggled with taking time off due to fear of losing my job or being seen as not hard working. I’ve witnessed colleagues die on the job from pneumonia because they were too late to seek medical help.

Maintaining relationships will require listening, planning and intentionally tuning in We’ll have to try harder to be more present with the person on the other side of the screen because, with all the screen distractions, it will become more difficult to keep up with people’s real true selves. If you’re trying to figure out how to keep grounded, reading emotions and emotional intelligence will be key to successful human interactions post-COVID. Let’s face it, we’ll all be hard at work trying to keep healthy and adapt our new lifestyles to how we want to live our lives individually.

Skin hunger The act of physical, contact-to-contact connections will be forever remembered as a key to survival, existing as a human, and not a privilege. Cuddling will be thought of as a coping mechanism.

The reality is that what we put out into the Internet universe is susceptible to being trolled. We live in a world where trolling is normal and with everyone suddenly learning on video chat to maintain their personal and professional relationships. But now we also have to deal with “zoom bombing” and the FBI warning that trolls are attacking religious educational institutions. Hackers are taking advantage of this influx of video chat users on sites like Zoom and Lifesize. As we’ve written about digital rights in Issue 5, we have a serious problem with dealing with digital privacy. Is it the platform’s responsibility

to protect its users, or is it the user’s responsibility? The answer is two-fold. Early this month, when reports of zoom-bombing first surfaced to the public, Zoom’s CEO responded, “I messed up.” All of a sudden an easy to use video chat platform has become a breeding ground for trolls who think they have power through anonymity. SMH So we’re going to act like Zoom isn’t the professional version of Chat roulette??

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/zoom-ceo-i-really-messed-up-on-security-ascoronavirus-drove-video-tools-appeal-11586031129