Humans are naturally social beings, thus, social distancing can be hard for us. How can we remain social during these times of social distancing? Well, there are a few ways to stay safely at home and still remain social with those you love.
- Staying Connected: Texting and Calling
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While it is not the most social of the forms of communication, it does work quickly. If you don’t have much time but want to let people know you are thinking of them, send them a text (not while driving though). The same goes for calling. Calling can be very useful if you are communicating with people that might not be able to video chat (such as the elderly).
- Posting on Social Media
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Just like texting, this is not very social in terms of traditional, face-to-face communication. However, since nearly everyone nowadays is on some form of social media, this can be a great way to get your thoughts out there. While practicing social distancing, you can take photos or videos of something fun you are doing and post it. Even though you can’t physically share the moment with friends, you can still show them what is happening in your life and vice-versa.
- Online Gaming
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If you and your friends like to play games with each other, that can still happen while practicing social distancing! There are some board games that can be played via app, online website, or through Facebook Games. If you and your friends have the same consoles, like PS4, Nintendo Switch, or Xbox One, you can all play together on these systems too. You can also stream your gameplay on Twitch or Youtube for larger groups to join in.
- Video Chatting
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Just like calling someone video chatting allows people to talk with others. However, video chatting allows people to see each other via phone or laptop cameras. As social beings, we prefer to see the facial expressions of those around us to gage their reactions to us. Nonverbal communication plays a major role in our relationships, even more so than verbal communication. Thus, being able to see the other person while talking with them, even from a screen, is much more personal than calling or texting.
FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Discord, and Zoom are all apps in which people could video chat. Most everyone knows about FaceTime and Hangouts. Discord is a free app in which people can chat with friends via text, voice, and video. This app is great for screen-sharing games with friends. Zoom, while normally used for holding online meetings, can be a great substitute for hanging out.