By ADRIANA GUTH-BOROWSKI – People all across the nation are learning how to adapt to social distancing. An important part of social distancing is learning how to socialize without breaking a six-foot boundary.
With the help of Facetime, Zoom, Google Hangouts and Skype, people are able to have virtual face-to-face conversations. Many are using group video chats to reconnect to family members and friends.
“My parents wont let me out of the house at all for any reason, so Facetime is most of my socializing right now,” stated junior Chloe Kocinski.
Car meet-ups have taken the Tik-Tok culture by storm. Many have found a loop-hole for social distancing by meeting in a circle, keeping the distance between each of them.
Social media, including Tik-Tok, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, has been keeping people connected, during a very disconnected time. Many use social media to post about their life during quarantine and to keep in touch with others.
“I use Snapchat and Instagram to text with my friends,” said freshman Emma Grim. “We can still joke around even when we can’t physically see each other in real life.”
Some people keep in touch in a more old-fashioned way – letters. Writing letters to each other is a fun way that many are communicating that adds a more personal touch. “It’s a fun way to stay in touch with your friends,” stated junior Alexis Single. “It’s always exciting seeing a letter in the mail. Also, it’s fun writing them, since it gives you something to do during quarantine.”
Some additional ways people are staying in touch include online games. Many have taken up online Minecraft, Scrabble and Monopoly. Although people cannot play games in person, this provides some entertainment during quarantine. Some online games have chatting abilities, so people can talk and make new friends over the internet.
When exercising outdoors, some people meet-up in order to get some socialization. This can be a fun way to talk to others, while remaining safe with a six-foot distance.
Everyone is learning how to adapt to this new way of life. Although everything is from a distance, it is still possible to remain connected, yet safely distanced from each other.
[Photo by Adriana Guth-Borowski]
Photo caption: “Junior Adriana Guth-Borowski receives a letter from her friend, Alexis Single.”