In the online digital age of interacting that we have today, the challenges of adapting to the new normal of socializing are hard to not notice. The new normal brought by the pandemic has affected our daily lives, which heavily involves day to day socialization with other people.

Even before the pandemic happened, almost the entire world has reached the so-called Age of the Internet, where social media platforms are mainly used for communicating with others. This time around under our current circumstances, this age has considerably appeared much more noticeable. As an internet connection and access to technology are no longer want or luxury, but a need and necessity in life.

Let’s face the reality that under our circumstance and situation right now, we cannot have those Friday nights with our barkadas, those hangouts with friends on coffee shops, milk tea places, restaurants, watching movies at the theatre, and or bonding with them by playing games both indoors and outdoors, etc. Also gone are the days when we have those difficult routine commutes on our way to our schools and works, the massive crowd inside the train, and or the heavy traffic while inside a jeepney, followed by tons of walking here and there.

We miss these things for sure, but as they say, the only constant in our world is changing whether it’s for better or for worst. The same can be said with our socialization. I can still remember that just 6 months ago, I don’t even know what zoom is, as well as google meet, or even discord. But nowadays it has become a part of my new normal life, almost all of us also use these platforms every day to attend to our online classes and do our tasks, let us keep in mind that learning must never stop even at this time of uncertainty and unprecedented adversity.

Online platforms have also served as a pathway where we get to virtually meet and talk to many people from different places, nationwide and international and it’s fascinating how we get to do this in the comfort of our homes. We also have the opportunity to share stories with different people, knowing who and where each other came from helps in building unity and cultural diversity and at the same time help each other with being resilient and persistent in resolving our problems and struggles that we all have amid the pandemic.

In this time when we just stay inside, isolated because of the virus, is the most important time for us to stay connected, keep in touch, maintain relationships with people we already know, and still keep meeting new people. Just like the well-known phrases “no man is an island” and “two heads are better than one” imparts, we people are naturally dependent on one another whether it’s physical or virtual.