“Bored in the house. I’m in the house. Bored.”
That’s a song on Tiktok, used in many viral videos. The punchline is doing all kinds of weird stuff or staring at a distance in different parts of the house. It’s kind of meta when you come to think of it. A song talking about boredom. Videos depicting boredom. The video itself and the use of the app are done out of boredom.
The beginning months of quarantine were tough. One moment people had plans to travel or spend the night with their friends. The next, everyone’s canceling to burn their butts staying at home.
Because people have been used to doing something all the time — thanks to hustle culture — doing nothing seems out of the norm. Some aren’t used to doing nothing that they would stress themselves finding a task to do. Sure, Netflix has heaps of content, but there comes a point that even Netflix has nothing more to offer to cure your boredom.
So, we’re faced with the problem: Bored in the house. I’m in the house. Bored.
Stay in Touch With Friends and Family
People are at risk of the effects of social isolation due to quarantine. Family members can’t go home to their loved ones as a precaution for immunocompromised members. They also may not be able to visit their elderly family members in nursing home facilities because seniors are at greater risks of COVID-19. Gone are the regular lunches, coffee, and parties with friends.
This hill, although too high to climb, can be surpassed. In truth, you might not need to climb it. You just need to connect to the internet and open a messaging or video conferencing app. You can plainly talk and catch up with the people you miss.
For those who want to make it a little more fun, there are real-time, multiplayer online games of varying difficulties. It can also be a virtual wine night. Everyone in the chat could also agree to cook a meal and eat it together in front of their screens. Movie night is also possible with the help of Netflix Party or share screen features.
Stan a New Band
Quarantine offers so much time to explore, may it be the internet or the extent of one’s preferences. An example would be realizing how cool BTS is and finding the reason for the record-breaking success. Maybe a person would start “stanning” them after multiple replays of their new hit single, Dynamite. Maybe their turning point would be the week-long performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon or their NPR Tiny Desk Concert.
Artists and performers have canceled their shows due to the pandemic. Like every other person struggling to keep their jobs, these people are finding ways to create content, appease their fans, stay relevant, and earn money.
Being bored while you’re stuck at home involves filling in gaps in your routine or schedule. People may also experience loneliness, so it helps to fill the silence with music.
Music streaming apps have different ways of helping you discover music. Spotify concocts a weekly playlist, called “Discover Weekly”, that is tailored for every user’s taste. It’s also common for music streaming services to suggest songs, either on the “Explore tab” or on the “Home” tab.
Watch Shows in a Different Language
Language carries so much of a people’s culture. Not only is language indicative of a place, but it is also reflective of their traditions and common practices. Language is a “Cultural Tool,” according to an anthropological linguist, Daniel Everett. It reflects the norms, shared ideas, and values of the place, as language is how they communicate it. In a sense, language is a shared understanding by a group of people and so is their culture.
Expanding your watch list to other countries may help you discover their culture. While watching, you can compare them to the shows in your country or to those generally accepted in mainstream Western media. For example, Asian mainstream shows can last an entire series about romance with only a peck on the cheeks. Yet, it still offers the same lovey-dovey and warm feeling about love.
This can also widen your horizons when it comes to perceiving and analyzing media content. It gives you varying perceptions of the world. It urges you to reconsider how you see social issues, for example. These movies bring you to different countries where you will see amazing places as well as their norms.
Media and the internet have long been painted as a modern-day evil. In the time of quarantine, it has proven its significance in connecting people worldwide and exposing consumers to diversity content.
Meta title: Just Quarantine Things: Virtual Gatherings and Heaps of Content
Meta description: People have been losing their cool while staying at home because of boredom. Luckily, the internet is here to save the day by offering long-distance connectivity and a plethora of content from all around the world.
