Life in Coronatime — week 1
I usually spend my working life hanging out with people, trying to understand what they’re doing and why. With the onslaught of Coronavirus my freelance work has evaporated but my brain hasn’t turned off. I’m still fascinated with human behaviour, probably even more so as new cultural values are emerging out of enforced isolation. So, rather than following strangers around with a camera, I’m observing what’s happening online — groups that are springing up among my friends, connections and local community and drawing insights from there. This is what I’ve learnt in week one.
Seeking comfort in soft things
Security is a basic need — it’s right down there at the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid. What this means is that people are looking for comfort. In the form of cute, soft things. On Tuesday I witnessed the arrival of two lop-eared bunnies in my neighbours’ garden. From my bathroom window I can see their 5-year-old running excitedly up and down alongside their hutch. She’s chatting to them because she doesn’t have anyone else to talk to. Only her brother who has been incessantly playing football all week. In Chester, my step-sister bought a cava doodle for her daughter’s 12th birthday. Lockdown meant no party, so they got a fashionable dog instead. Obviously not everyone can get a pet. What we’re seeing is a run on fuzzy socks, loungewear and cashmere robes. The Evening Standard call it ‘grownup swaddling’.
Becoming more like Gen Z
Being grounded by the government is pretty annoying but can you imagine — as a recent piece of #fakenews claimed — what would happen if they closed the internet down? Now that would be horrific. I think this lockdown is turning us all a bit Gen Z. I’d love to see the stats about how many ‘older’ people have downloaded house party in the last week. I accidently left the notifications on my phone and it’s been beeping like crazy as my generation seeks connection. Next we’ll all start caring about causes and doing good in the community…
Bonding through online fitness
In the UK we’re allowed out once a day to exercise. Instead of using this slot to get out in the sunshine, people are turning to YouTube and HIITing along with Joe Wickes’ workout. It’s like life before Netflix — we’re all watching the same thing at the same time so we can talk to each other about it. But this time the bonding is taking place online, rather than round the water cooler or in the playground. Will Joe Wickes end up running the country? Will we ever be able to talk to each other again in real life? Do we want to go back to shared viewing rather than being lost in a lonely world of aimless streaming?
Planting seeds for the future
Yay! It’s spring! This is the time to start growing stuff. Ask any gardener, planting seeds is good for nurturing your mental health. Even if you don’t have access to green space, you can still grow herbs, tomatoes, even crazy hot chilis on a sunny windowsill. Before lockdown, social distancing was extremely difficult at our local garden centre as north London’s wannabe cultivators made a grab for pots and compost.
Experimenting with identity
My mum friends have been bemoaning the closure of hairdressers because they can’t get their roots done. They’ve been posting photos of shoe polish as an alternative — it looks passable on a Zoom call. Meanwhile liberated from school uniform, my teenage daughter wants to colour the undersection of her hair fuchsia pink. This is a time where people are experimenting with new looks, clearing out the wardrobe and making their own pieces inspired by Next in Fashion. Like Gen Z, we’re going to be experts at projecting a presentable online identity, that’s for sure. Even if we’re wearing PJs to do it. But who knows what we’ll look like when we emerge from our homes at the end of the lockdown?
What does this all mean? Will these be permanent changes to our behaviour? In times of uncertainty and anxiety we seek comfort and benefit for forging meaningful connections and expressing creativity. Maybe these things that have been slowly eroded from our fast-paced, work-obsessed lives and we’re rediscovering their value.
