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Quarantine and Distance by Chiara Lai
How many times have we heard complaints about the fact that technology is leading our so-
cial relationships? About how human interaction is losing its “realness” and that social networks and platforms are to blame? Here is a reflection from Italy about quarantine and distance.
I can already imagine the History e-books of fu- But what it influences more is our way to stay ture generations: 2020, the year of the pandemic. 2020, when, after decades of constantly moving, we had to stop. 2020, when something changed. Yes, I do think something will change after this historical period. What is being imposed on us right now is something we are definitely not used to, and it will probably influence the way we perceive loneliness, friendship, family and work.
It is the first time we face a sanitary emergen-
cy with a smartphone in our hands. What does that change? First of all, the media plays an important role in the spread of information. In a couple of minutes, a single article can reach so many people and create either hope, anger or fear, and the click market often favours the latter. In the case of Covid-19, we are even able to watch a live stream of the number of cases per country. News flow from a social network to another non-stop. The internationality of the English language also plays a role in this, massively boosting news reach.
in contact. How many times have we heard complaints about the fact that technology is leading our social relationships? About how human interaction is losing its “realness” and that social networks and platforms are to blame? This isolation forces us to stay connected in only one manner: digitally. People are taking video calls as real dates, trying to react to the current situation and standardizing a new social routine. Moreover, even if some types of jobs do not allow this option, many do offer the opportunity to work from home through online meetings, shared documents and other tools. Even though in normal contexts this happens only in particular situations, now it is the only way to continue our working activities, and it functions smoothly for the most part. So, I found myself wondering: could the world keep going like that? Is a digital life, in which all social interactions and working assignments can easily find a substitute online, possible?
Source: https://www.leggo.it/italia/cronache/coronavirus_flash_mob_napoli_canti_balconi-5109418.html
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