A strange new world

From the ashes of the old, a new world will rise. Or so they say, the pandemic has hit the world hard and without remorse. Sure, every now and then, you’ll see a person saying “Oh, it’s nothing, the COVID-19 panic is simply the ‘flu’ that you can cure with (insert old and barbaric ways to cure an ailment here)”; or worse, “The covid-19 panic is simply something the government uses to make business out of us”. It’s as if the pandemic hasn’t exposed a sheer magnitude of incompetence by the governments of the world. But we’re not here to talk about the politics of that, or any politics at all.

When the pandemic started, everyone was forced to the confines of their homes; of course, we have a few stragglers here and there, walking about as if they are immune to the virus; or the people who have to report to work but most of us are locked in. The dreaded cabin fever sets in as people get at each other’s throats after being stuck with them for so long, everything we used to do, suddenly cut down to teeny, tiny pieces. Funny, isn’t it? We had our elders spout daily that “the next generation is too reliant on their technology, what ever happened to the good old days of having fun and hanging out with people personally”, now we relied on technology more than ever.

A smartphone, a PC, a gaming console, an inanimate object that subjects you to its whims, just so you are able to work, socialize with your friends or simply ease the stress that has been consuming your mind. As for now, gone are the days that we see people gallivanting about, loitering all over, talking to friends as they pass by on the streets, sharing gossip, bickering and whatever it is that normal people did back then. Now, we are using our phones, checking in hourly on just what is going on with the world right now, who did something bad, how many cases do we have, and then we have the people who used the current status quo to their advantage.

Cue the influencers, the streamers, the online sellers and even the online freelancers, everything we do today, with the exception of eating, drinking and sleeping, happens behind a screen. Given, that these people have existed way before the pandemic has started, there is a sudden surge of them now. People of all ages, taking off in various streaming services, trying to impress the world and at the same time, earn money. The influencers with their fashion ideas during the pandemic; the online sellers, who fairly price their products (Yes, I still remember you, online sellers who sold alcohol at ten times the price); and freelancers who will do anything (legally) for a fee.

The reliance on technology nowadays is staggering, and it is a fact that we must accept, because, however will your crazy uncle with conspiracy theories ever post his quotes without access to a smartphone or a computer? How will you see just what is going on with your friends’ lives if you don’t see them flickering by your timeline, how will you even talk to your loved ones if you cannot have access to a smartphone at least.

But not everyone has access to these, those who are at the lowest part of the system, the poorest of the poor could not even afford these luxuries, yet they struggle against it, finding ways to survive, day in and day out without these forms of entertainment. Are you lucky to be able to have a way to relieve your stress when you are cooped in way too long? Or are you still going on with the statement that our reliance on technology will be the death of us all? (A la Skynet from Terminator)

Technology is quite a fickle thing, it can turn you into a mindless drone if you let yourself be absorbed by it, by reading and watching those countless conspiracy videos on YouTube, by reading falsified news spread out by dubious websites, by stupidly putting your bank details on a website that claims to help you, but please, remember, it isn’t technology’s fault by itself, true that these wouldn’t happen without it, but it takes two to tango, and those who are ignorant enough to fall for these are the bigger problem. Their refusal to accept technology into their lives becomes a reason for them to hate it even more, they wouldn’t dare blame themselves, now would they?

Yet there are those who survive, who strive further and fly higher with these ‘gadgets’ at their disposal. There’s a person who simply does nothing all day but play video games, but broadcasts it live to a group of people who watch him play, add a bit of spice, humorous commentary and voila, an epic product of laughs and entertainment for the people who are simply just too bored at home. Talk about video games ruining your life, huh? Then there’s a person who has the sense of humor to create something viral, not only to they bring laughs to the world, they are also given the status of fame, and a revenue if they know how to use it further.

Now, for the teachers who lost their jobs, they also have the opportunity to teach classes online, from either groups of students or a private student and guess what, they get paid.

Yes, not everyone can risk these opportunities since everyone isn’t cut from the same cloth, there are those who can take the risk and fail, because they’ve got savings and there are those who cannot because if they spend it on an investment and fail, well, there goes their life. But, what would the world be without a gamble? When someone gets hungry enough, they tend to get creative with their approach or worse, turn to criminal ways.

But, let’s not also paint the whole streamer and influencer thing as saints, there are those who create viral videos that are laced with vitriol, calls to violence and worse, malignment against innocent people. The masses eat these negativities up and in return, gives the said influencer a steady revenue. Revenue made with hate. A call to regulate these people who take advantage of the masses should be enacted and they should be shut down. They are not making the world a better place, and they sure as hell aren’t contributing much to it.

The world is a wonky, fickle remix at this point, a vaccine is in the horizon and we’ll probably be able to get back to normal then, but right now, the present, everything is still in disarray, the pandemic is still wreaking havoc and people are still cooped up at home, slowly going crazy. We need to face facts that for now, everything is different. The world has turned 180 degrees and we either need to go along with it or be forgotten in the sands of time.