Who could have anticipated when I posted my last blog on Thursday, February 20th, that COVID-19 would explode in Italy – from a handful of cases on Friday, February 21st to hundreds of cases by Monday, February 24th. In the space of 72 hours, the world was on the precipice of a frightening, new normal.
After blogging about the 2020’s becoming the great age of content due to the proliferation of paid streaming services, who would have conceived that free streaming would become a powerful connector in a socially distanced, shelter-at-home, world. Zoom…. literally into March Madness
The US and much of the world underwent forced hibernation this week. Chris Martin of the band Cold Play, inspired artists like John Legend, Keith Urban, Rob Thomas and Pink to follow his lead by performing and streaming live mini gigs from their homes to distract and delight live, worldwide audiences, some numbering over 500,000, who watched and interacted from their couches. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B90Ft_knpuT/?utm_source=ig_embed
Companies sent employees home to work, and business bumped along with Brady Bunch streaming conference services like Zoom. Zoomers – Boomers, X’ers, Millennials and Z’ers pulled back the curtain of their private lives in their home “studios.” The challenge for Boomer Zoomers was complementary lighting, while Z Zoomers wondered about screen- appropriate attire, and for Millennial and Gen Z Zoomers, it was where to stash the kids. And everyone looked more critically for the right backdrop – as over-the-shoulder peeking became a fun diversion.
Even live television embraced this streaming phenomenon, with talent reporting from kitchens and study’s as they self-isolated. Jimmy Kimmel streamed “quarantine minilogues” from his family room. Tonight, he interviews his wife and kids. The Today Show’s Al Roker forecasted the weather from his kitchen, while his wife, Deborah Roberts, shot her 20/20 segments from the living room.
As a world and a country, we were strangely more isolated before this week. Sharing comfy couches and kitchen tables, while bringing the world home, has underscored our common humanity. In the midst of COVID-19 Madness, while our borders are closed, streaming has opened our doors, and reminded us, we are all in this together.