Going outside, meeting up with friends, attending large social gatherings were all once a part of daily life before Coronavirus hit. However, due to the virus,  people have found other ways to interact with one another that comply with current health guidelines and restrictions.The internet has been one of the biggest forms of communication during these trying times.

   Many popular applications such as Discord, Skype and other voice calling services have been used as a form of communications between people. 

  Senior Josh Borden uses Discord to communicate with friends on a daily basis.

   “Ever since we were put in lockdown and been quarantined from other people, I’ve started playing video games with my friends to pass the time. We usually play games like Minecraft, Valorant and others to be able to talk to each other and just kinda hang out while we wait this virus out,” Borden said. 

    Senior Jackson Thomas also uses Discord as a form of communication.    

   “Technology has allowed me to talk to most of my relatives online…due to the borders being closed …same goes for 90 percent of social interactions right now. It’s really only been helpful, but wifi can be a pain sometimes,” Thomas said.   

   While Thomas and Borden both use the internet to communicate with friends and family, others like Cynthia Shimovetz, a 6th grade math teacher at Beldon Middle School and Annie Lee, the owner of Chinese cuisine restaurant, Billy Lee’s, uses the internet to interact with students and customers respectively. 

   “I have live instruction on Schoology conferences (a voice calling service for students and teachers) on a daily basis,” Shimovetz said. 

   “It’s more difficult to teach because it’s hard to interact with them when you can’t see each other, I think they are afraid to ask questions, so a few times a week I don’t teach and just let the kids do fun stuff like playing some games and such to get them to interact with one another,” Shimovetz added.

   Shimovetz believes that social interaction is important and it makes the learning process easier. She feels that technology is a hindrance, but is the only way to teach during these times.

   On the other hand, while Shimovetz uses the internet to teach her students,  Lee uses the internet as a form of communication between customers and her restaurant. 

  As a result of  the pandemic, Lee had to move her restaurant to pick up only. 

   “Every customer is different; it depends on whether or not they feel comfortable to come in. Some call and pay all online and we deliver, while some pay in store but order over the phone, because of this we have our menu online for customers to easily browse through,” Lee said.

   Everyone in every walk of life has to transition into this way of living. However, some are taking it harder due to the limitations of technology like Shimovetz, while others are taking the transition very well like Lee and Thomas. 

   “No, I hope [schooling is not headed all online in the future], I think this quarantine gives new meaning for being in a classroom. I feel that now more than ever students and teachers value being in a classroom,” Shimovetz said.

    Senior Catherine Adams is also having a hard time with the transition.

   “Being quarantined was not great for my mental health. Online school was much harder for me than in person school, and I found it more difficult to stay organized,” Adams said

   “I always felt exhausted after a long day of Zoom calls. I prefer some live interaction because it’s less draining for me,” Adams added.

   Despite the negative impacts of quarantine, Adams also noted the positive aspects.

      “I definitely think the world is more interconnected now because of the virus! Over quarantine, more people than ever before turned to technology and the internet to ease boredom and to stay in touch with their loved ones. I think the implications of this will continue to affect us into the future.” Adams said.