The New Internet…Thanks Covid
In the article “Changes in Digital Communication During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: Implications for Digital and Inequality and Future Research’’ it is stated that “This was followed by an increase in voice calls (36%), social media (35%), and video calls (30%)“ (Nguyen et. al, 2020). I think that the internet is impacting relationships and human connections in a positive way because without coronavirus we would not be talking to our family and friends as much as we are now. Before Covid, we took our family and friends for granted because we saw them every day. Since there is an increase in video calls, we are hearing our friends and families’ voices and also seeing them more frequently. I don’t think we would be reaching out as much if we weren’t alone at home due to coronavirus. Talking to our family and friends more frequently using technology like FaceTime and Zoom is improving our mental health. Without it, I feel like a lot of people would be more depressed and lonely. Zoom helps connect teachers and students for class and working people for meetings. I also think that technology and the internet are hurting our relationships and human connections because some people have a lack of access to phones or computers to access video apps like Zoom to talk to their family and friends. This can negatively affect their mental health and make them very depressed. This depression and loneliness can lead to suicide. Also, less tech-savvy people are struggling with their relationships because they are not able to talk to them as much as they would like. Some people lack phones to be able to talk to their family and friends. I think the digital divide is increasing because some people have the technology to communicate and connect with relationships and other people do not. The people who don’t will feel alone and not cared for in their lives.
In the article, “Technology as a coping tool during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: Implications and recommendations” Garfin states that “Online platforms also provide avenues for individuals to stay engaged with their previous communities (such as houses of worship, fitness studios, and community centers) through streaming life services, as well as to seek out and make new connections“ (Garfin, 2020). Live-streaming has helped people during COVID stay connected with what they were previously doing in their lives which helps us keep some normalcy in our lives. It is important for our mental health to do what we normally did before COVID but in a safe way. I have a personal example of this and how internet technologies served my needs during the pandemic. I’m Catholic and before the pandemic, I would go to church every Saturday and sometimes on Fridays. When the pandemic hit, all the churches in Minnesota were closed for about 2–3 months. It affected me because the Catholic Church was in the middle of celebrating an important season when churches closed. It was during the Lenten season and Holy Week with Easter. It wasn’t the same but churches in Minnesota and all over the country were live-streaming masses for us to see at home on YouTube. I would have missed the important celebration of Easter without this live streaming option. The church I attended was live-streaming so it was like I was back at my church just at home. It’s definitely not the same as going to church but it met my needs at the time because I needed to be able to watch the mass in some way. I was also used to it because whenever I was sick as a child, my mom would find a tv channel that would show the mass. I think without the live-streaming mass, it would have been more difficult to go back to church now that restrictions are being lifted. It helped me keep my routine. Church was also important to my mental health at the time because COVID made everyone hopeless and depressed. Going every week to virtual mass gave me hope that there was some light at the end of the tunnel.
