by: Lindsay Cox
According to UCLA professor Matthew Lieberman, social interactions are as basic of need as shelter, food, and water. Luckily for us, we can connect socially while maintaining social distance.
One of the graphic designers for the Prospectus, Marcus Flinn uses FaceTime with his best friends once a week, talks to his family every weekend, and uses Discord with other gamers every other day.
Andrew Waner and Sidney Mounts, photographers for the Prospectus, have also been spending time gaming. Waner uses his PS4 to stay connected to his friends in Chicago. “I just beat the Final Fantasy 7 remake. I have been shooting and filming a lot too. Oh, and glorious sleeping as much as possible,” Waner said. Mounts also said, “I’ve been playing in my VR system while doing homework on the side. Just a lot of gaming on my end.”
“Aside from classwork, I’ve been practicing my illustration and photography skills. I’ve also been binge-watching lots of tv shows and movies with my family!”
The use of technology can make you wonder what self-quarantine would be like without the internet. Prospectus reporter, Erin Morrison is also benefitting from technology during this time, telling the Prospectus, “I have been staying connected with my friends through Snapchat and FaceTime, but I really want to do that Netflix party extension with them.”
Also, Madison Wilcoxen, another graphic designer at the Prospectus, has been using her spare time to sharpen her skills. Wilcoxen said, “Aside from classwork, I’ve been practicing my illustration and photography skills. I’ve also been binge-watching lots of tv shows and movies with my family!”
With a lot of businesses closing during this time, people have been getting creative when it comes to social gatherings. Savannah Burkhalter, a vice president for Parkland’s Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and Illinois Regional President, has been hosting game nights every week to boost morale. “Before this all started, I really enjoyed game nights with friends like cards and board games and things like that, so the game nights every week are sort of a way to maintain normalcy. I already had Jackbox games and I had access to an unlimited Zoom service, so it was a logical way to still keep in touch with friends and do our game nights while still following quarantine rules and regulations,” Burkhalter said.
Another Phi Theta Kappa member, Karah Sullivan, has been working on at-home workout routines and meal plans for mental health improvement for her and her friends. Since they are unable to work out together, due to gyms being closed, she decided to make a way for them to virtually workout together.
