The not-so-noticeable side of the covid epidemic

A set of phrases are commonplace today, you see it in the news, the print media, social networks, everywhere: unprecedented crisis, mounting death toll, economic impact and accelerated vaccine development to name a few.

With this “unprecedented crisis”, we, as a global community are advised to follow some guidelines. The most important of which is to avoid contact as far as possible. Given the characteristics of the virus, this is a no brainer.

While the battle against the virus rages in the world under the spotlight of global media, there is an undertone to the whole exercise: the”unprecedented” increase in hours spent in front of digital screens.

Of course, with the advent of fast internet and affordable smartphones, this is nothing new to us. But without the convenience of venturing out, the masses have bear hugged the digital space.

This surge in usage has thrust a medley of sectors into prominence. Video conferencing apps like Zoom (security risk, you say?), social networking apps like Houseparty (networking, really?), streaming services like Amazon Prime Video (watched Paatal Lok?) have all witnessed increased patronage. Call of Duty: Warzone, a multiplayer first person shooter game, was released in the first half of March this year (talk of timing!). By the end of April, users shot up to 50 million, marking an increase of about 1000% in just a month!

While the uptick in digital usage is due to necessity or entertainment, the end result is, simply put, more and more hours in front of screens. As days roll into weeks and weeks morph into months of the corona outbreak, it is safe to say that we have reached a point wherein we need to start living with the virus. With that backdrop, it is imperative to be cognizant of the dangers of a “screen” lifestyle.

We need to make a decision at this juncture: we can either let the all-encompassing screens take over every minute of our waking hours or consciously choose to weave away from the digital net and engage ourselves outside the purview of the screens.

PS: Easier said than done, right?