When physical distance has gone too far for too long, it feels good to be together again.
A final project for Mashup Culture Spring 2020.
Due to the current pandemic, we have been advised and, in some locations, forced to self-quarantine and practice social distancing. While this act aids in the prevention of further escalation of the pandemic, it is also negatively impacting the mental health of many individuals. It can promote social withdrawal and eventually lead to reclusiveness.
There have been various studies conducted in Japan surrounding social withdrawal, known as hikikomori: a term that translates to stay indoors. These individuals become reclusive in their home and last at least 6 months in this state. Their lifestyle is centered around their home and many of them don’t even leave the confines of their rooms. Individuals who are at high risk of becoming hikikomori are unemployed and not enrolled in school. Other high-risk factors may also include a family history of emotional neglect or abuse. Due to these factors, they have no interest in social contact. Individuals who are hikikomori have reported that their experience in the workplace and school caused their reclusiveness. While this example of social isolation can be considered exclusive to Japan’s culture, there have been other examples in Spain and South Korea.
With that being said, the experience of being without work, school and social events can also lead to social isolation, and if it is for extended periods of time, social withdrawal. According to Scott Frothingham writer at Healthline, “it takes 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit. The study also concluded that, on average, it takes 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.” It has been two months since COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic. Many individuals started working from home immediately after the declaration, whereas others were laid off. Schools around the country and the globe have transitioned into remote learning, this includes the primary and secondary schools. Sports and live entertainment events have been postponed until further notice. As the world works towards combatting the pandemic, we are influencing new trends and have hit the mark where new habits begin to form.
We already rely so heavily on technology, but now we are forcing children of all ages to alter their learning to fit the new remote studies. We don’t need to leave our homes for anything anymore, not even food shopping thanks to several order/delivery options. We have immediate access to a lot of services, which is great. But we need physical interaction with people. Not having this can become second nature to us if we allow it. In many cases this can cause anxiety, depression and unhealthy habits. It can force us to permanently become reclusive in our homes, like hikikomori.
The #TogetherAgain series promotes social interactions and engagements amongst people during this time and post-pandemic to prevent reclusiveness. It’s tagline, “When physical distance has gone too far for too long, it feels good to be together again,” exposes the nuisance of social distancing and works towards emphasizing the emotional need to unite with loved ones. It serves as a tool to promote mental health and wellbeing via mashup content shared on the social media platform Instagram and instant messaging application, WhatsApp.
The content began with memes and a gif to bring a light and fun air to these platforms that contained a lot of negativity.
These mashups were flyers promoting game nights, movie nights and karaoke sessions to bring people, friends and family, together. The flyers were for these activities that I hosted or co-hosted. Upon generating the flyers, I found that it was imperative to create how-tos. on hosting these virtual activities and including template versions of each flyer for others to use. They will remix the flyer, contributing to being together again with their loved ones and the mashup participatory culture we live in.
As individuals use these flyers to promote their own virtual social gatherings and interactions, they may also find themselves wondering of other activities to do during this time. So, I created an Instagram AR effect via Spark AR Hub. The filter contains 27 virtual activities that people can do with their loved ones to bring them together in new and exciting ways. The filter is available on Instagram as of May 8, 2020. Users can record and tap on their screen to activate the lottery/randomization effect. After about 5 seconds, a virtual activity is revealed. By using this AR effect, the audience begin to use social media platforms to connect again in authentic ways, rather than liking and reposting images. One day after launch, the filter had 1487 impressions (number of times filter was displayed on a screen), 161 captures and 5 shares!
The #TogetherAgain collective mashup content proves that no matter the distance and the inability to see many of our loved ones, we can still remain connected with a little bit of effort. It truly influences audiences to feel that “when physical distance has gone too far for too long, it feels good to be together again”. In the end, it will enhance our desire to continue these interactions physically post pandemic and prevent reclusiveness in society.