Social Media in the Time of Corona: New Ways of Connecting

By Amy Alexander

We live in the midst of a globally digitalised era, hauled together by the fragments of social media, innovative technology and an ever-changing world. That being said, our lives have never been so different now than they were perhaps five, ten years ago.

We have evolved in many areas of life and are naturally embracing who we are on a more authentic level. Social media houses what feels like an infinite catalogue of self-expression and creativity, whether that be sharing your morning quips on Instagram Stories, livestreaming to your friends from festivals or having fun with the latest trends on TikTok.

When lockdown started in March 2020, we were all forced to stay inside, unsure of what the world would be like when we could finally go out again. We found comfort in knowing that we were all going through a similar, if not the exact same, experience.

Many of us lost jobs, were unable to see family and friends for months and months and felt lost in the world, unsure of our place in it. For a lot of us, social media was, and still is, a vessel for expression and connection with others. It allowed us, during such a tumultuous and difficult time in our lives, to build an authentic online persona and display who we are for all to see.

We faced our fears of being seen and of being judged because everyone else was in the same boat. Unsure of what was happening with the virus, one of the only ways of experiencing comfort, joy and togetherness was to have an online presence. Today, this carefree and vibrant attitude to life is a clear result of our experiences over the last two years.

One of the most special ways of connection and expression on social media for us is through the art of storytelling. Take Instagram Stories, for example. This is where many of us are able to share parts of our day with an audience of friends, family, acquaintances and strangers.

There is so much beauty in knowing that an experience or story of ours that we share can actually change someone else’s day or even someone’s life. We don’t know what other people may be going through, but making that conscious decision to share and to post allows us to lean into our natural authenticity and also strengthens our persona online.

Short-form content and long-form content allows us to have real-time conversations with people we may not even know on a personal level, but even then, that is an authentic relationship because of that connection and the joy it brings.

This unfiltered self-expression that we have is so much more prevalent today than it was before the pandemic. We were once so closed off to sharing information online because we were scared of what others may think. This fear is almost non-existent now.

The power of social media is what we should be grateful for – allowing us to share our stories and what we love. We have found connections and have had meaningful conversations with others.

This is a new era for our world.