Technology and Art in the Age of Coronavirus
Written by Jensen Van Horn
Photograph by Mikayla LoBasso
It’s come with quite a shock to many that mid-way through March of 2020, stay-at-home orders and strong suggestions to socially distance and self quarantine were announced by government officials in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus. For many of us, living through a global pandemic is something we associated with the eras before mass technology and advanced healthcare practices. Novel viruses that spread like wildfire and required drastic lifestyle changes were a phenomena of the past. The modern-day societal infrastructures that we are accustomed to were built without the anticipation of a global health crisis of this scale. And, to be frank, many of us young adults and adolescents never dreamed of living through a major historical event like this.
Whether we like it or not, coronavirus is going to drastically change many aspects of society in lasting ways. Only a month into quarantine, coronavirus has required humans to think differently about problem-solving and adapting to lifestyle changes in order to keep up day-to-day activities. Working from home is now the new norm, if you are so fortunate to keep your job. Schools and universities are now entirely online, providing students with pre-recorded lectures frantically put together at the last minute by professors over spring break, or in zoom calls of hundreds of students across the country. Everything is weird and unprecedented.
One of the biggest changes as a response to quarantining and social distancing is our relationship with technology. Humans are becoming more and more clever with how they use the technologies available to them. This presents one of the lights-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel for the pandemic: new flexibilities and innovation with technology. The foreseeable future involves technology developed for working and maintaining relationships remotely. Social scientists predict that we will come out of our quarantines with a healthier relationship with technology: one that views technology as a tool for creation and connection, not just mindless outlets for distractions.
Because of the restrictions on human contact, adapting to technology is raising questions for artists and creators alike of not just how to present their work digitally, but what kind of work is worth presenting. Individuals are thinking critically about what people want right now when they’re bored alone at home. Content is becoming not just more authentic, but providing more value to whatever audience it reaches. In the earlier days of quarantine, Yo-Yo Ma performed cello pieces that are meaningful to him on daily livestreams. Recently, DJ’s who would’ve performed at the number of canceled music festivals are putting on digital concerts on YouTube and asking viewers to donate to foundations that help artists affected by coronavirus. Artistic outlets that were once limited to those who could show up are being provided free of cost to anyone who seeks them. Technology and art in the age of coronavirus is becoming more empathetic and, as a result, strengthening communities in unprecedented ways.
Of course, there are the niches that won’t be able to adapt so easily to the virtual world. Students in painting, sculpting, or photography classes are deprived of the hands-on experience working in studios with their peers. Can work like this be appreciated or graded via zoom? Many students face obstacles while learning from home, such as limited access to supplies that would’ve been provided in class. Likewise, if certain mandatory classes for graduation are deemed too hard to move online, how will students deep into their programs complete their course loads? While some forms of education are more accessible, it appears that others might be casualties to a changing digital world.
It’s the problems like these that raise questions of what we will lose to COVID-19. As we grow more innovative as a species and come up with new solutions to old problems, it’s inevitable that what’s more easily adaptable will take precedence over what’s not. Disciplines and artistic outlets that can be moved online will do so very successfully. We are already seeing a rapid increase in popularity of digital magazines, photography, and design. Others that can’t might be labeled antiquated and forgotten in waves of technological progress.
Especially as stay-at-home orders are extended, it’s difficult to know what this all means yet. Will we succumb to our old ways of doing things once everything’s back to normal? Like all significant historical events, the covid-19 pandemic will inevitably bring about new ways of life -- and it already is.