Society’s reaction to a pandemic has been a fascinating insight into human nature as a whole. It has left some people wondering how their businesses will adapt to going virtual, and perhaps how different the reaction might have been had Covid-19 struck just 10 years earlier. Fortunately for many of us, the last 10 years have seen extraordinary advancements in uses of the internet, whether that be broadband speed, video streaming or social media. As such, lockdown has given the internet a chance to really stretch its legs and prove its full potential to the world. Indeed, speculation that companies will maintain a higher proportion of work-from-home employees is on the rise; all they needed was the kick to give it a go. Not just work, but social lives too have transitioned to bandwidth in light of coronavirus. We’ve seen an incredible wave of past-time activities and classes go virtual, from quizzes and socialising to dance and yoga Whilst no one knows what’s around the corner, who’s to say that many more aspects of our lives haven’t been irretrievably moved to the virtual world by the pandemic?
The Body Coach TV runs online exercise classes and saw huge success at the height of lockdown. YouTube is packed with videos on fitness; there is practically no limit to what you can find. Workouts, guides, and tips and tricks on everything from weightlifting and yoga, to sprinting and long-distance running are available at the click of a button. The pandemic has revealed the true value of such a resource.
The music industry’s reaction to lockdown has been an interesting one. Social media saw literally hundreds of online free concerts from giants of the industry. Huge institutions like The Metropolitan Opera have been making recordings freely available online for months now – recordings that previously required a monthly subscription. There’s no doubt this will have huge repercussions on the industry, not least in the potential devaluation of services previously involving an expensive ticket and a grand night out. Personal trainers and instructors face a similar dilemma in seeing their customers’ expectations in flux; change is coming whether we like it or not.
Online pub quizzes also took off during lockdown; it turns out a weekly fix of trivia doesn’t have to be accompanied with multiple pints of beer (even if it does seem to help). One can certainly argue that there’s more to a pub quiz than just the trivia; zoom quizzes miss so much of the atmosphere that keeps people coming back week on week. Indeed, one hope we can hold on to is that the joy of face to face contact can’t possibly die over a few months of lockdown. When given the chance people will be begging to see live music and participate in social sports and exercise again.
So perhaps the increase of online activity during lockdown shouldn’t be seen as an infringement on the status quo of our social lives, but a moment of expansion. We may well emerge from this pandemic with the new-found ease of online content, but still have the opportunity for the face to face contact we can’t live without. So in this time of uncertainty, it is necessary to think about how our businesses might change in the near future, but being ready to adapt to delivering online content can only be a positive step. The great thing about getting online is that it’s super easy, you only need a smartphone and you can be streaming in seconds. Alternatively, if you’re looking for professional service, Splento offers hourly rates on live-streaming or videography, edited and delivered within 24 hours, to get your virtual classes and sessions online without a fuss.
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