Since the beginning of 2020, conversations have been the same as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am more than shocked by the number of phone calls I have made and received. For the last one week, I’ve had to fix tik tok times, scheduled FaceTime dates with friends, and video conferences with course mates. This is the only time I have received more than enough communications that last for hours since I turned 15. I know I am not alone, the pandemic is global, and millions of people are in lockdown, leading to rising in telecommunication.
With people I’ve spoken to, we’ve connected in new social ways, hosted virtual parties, and had happy hours. There has been a reunion with friends we had distanced ourselves and disconnected for decades. I should have learned how to use Novena video before all this so that I’d use it with my family to pray together or conduct gathering calls. I should have learned how to FaceTime while working on my other projects. It would feel more like I am in a coffee shop. However, are people I feel like they should be prepared for this or instead given a skill. People who don’t find it comfortable chatting over video or on the phone. These people find it so hectic at the moment to handle the current and the rush to connect.
The pandemic has made us all have one thing to talk about, triggering reconnections from older people. Some people drifted away over the years, but if I can pick my phone right and call them, they will pick and speak to me. I have felt the anxiety about developing the skill and transitioning into talking on the phone. Typically I’d force myself to make calls with my classmates and had a chance to avoid them if I could. The case is different now since I find myself having several calls in a week and even more in just a single day.
This pandemic has made me feel like risk communication business has been put front and center. I have learned that excellent communication is all we need to balance our fears and protect ourselves from the pandemic. At the moment, schools are closed, gyms, restaurants, and everyone are working from home. Major life events, such as weddings and graduations, have been canceled. The only thing remaining is focusing and coming up with ways in which we can help each other through communications. One of them is building trust. At the moment, people only need to hear from experts unusually public health regularly. I feel like new ideas on how to interact should flood every digital space. Social etiquette has changed from average to social distancing. I am left with questions like is pulling out chairs and opening doors still relevant? Let us develop new skills, for instance, giving older people or persons with disabilities enough space when entering a building.
This is the right time to check on elderly neighbors or family members by calling them. People and especially extroverts feel isolated calming is the new skill I need to develop since a little caring goes a long way. As a student, I would instead do my homework than spreading false information that will create panic and harm to others. A fact about communication that most people don’t know is accepting social responsibility is being part of social media. I am grown mentally, and I am very cautious before reposting anything, even if it sparks my curiosity.
Lastly is since everyone else is using email for communication, let us embrace transforming from ‘best’ or ‘sincerely’ to signing emails with ‘stay safe’ or ‘be well.’ This shows selflessness both inwards and outwards in the mindset of people. This is a crisis we were not prepared for, and no one knew how this semester would turn out to be. I find it fascinating how there has been a shift from individual to collective because it makes it happen so quickly. What does communication aids us as social ventures and humans? We need good interaction with one another and be better by thinking less ‘me’ and more we.