As a self-identified introvert, I thought social distancing would be a breeze. What better excuse is there to get out of plans than, “It isn’t you, it’s me and the potential I have to cause you respiratory distress.”
That is until I realised, life is innately suuuuuper social. Lunch catchups, group activities, hand to hand combat for bare essential groceries – to live is to live with others. But now that personal space is finally getting the respect that it deserves, hangouts are hanging low and dates are dumped before they even get the chance to become a disaster. To ensure you meet your quota of social interaction, here are e-z p-z solutions for contact hours without the contact during the corona chaos.
YOUR NEW HOTSPOT
While your local probably isn’t the best place to be right now, that doesn’t mean the gang’s rendezvous have to be put on hold too. You’re still meeting for dinner at 7 but instead of going to your hotspot, you’re turning it on. Prep your preferred meal then jump on FaceTime, Skype, Messenger or, if you’re truly desperate, Snapchat, and let the Internet do what it does best – bringing people together (also exposing children to things they shouldn’t be exposed to). Chat and chew as you normally would, and the best part? No rogue chip seagulls to be found.
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TO BINGE OR NOT TO BINGE
I’ve tried to watch a movie with someone over the phone on separate screens and, let me tell you, no matter how many times you both countdown, “3, 2, 1, PLAY,” there’s always going to be one person gasping at a twist a second before the other. But now there’s no need to keep your reactions to yourself, because the Chrome extension Netflix Party allows you to binge with your friends remotely by synchronising video playback. It even has a built-in group chat perfect for hosting all your spicy commentary. Just remember, friends that toilet break together stay together.
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HOME RUN
Put the pedal to the metal without moving an inch, because the good folk at Nintendo have heard our cries for friendship and have delivered the much-awaited update to break them up. Multiplayer has finally revved into the Mario Kart Tour app so it doesn’t matter if one friend has a Switch, one has a Wii and one is still rocking the 64; you can all bash each other with shells on the smartphone app. Pro tip: A conference call while racing is recommended for an authentic experience fit with cussing and vows to never do this again.
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PUT IT IN THE PAST
Take a day trip that will have the group tripping and not because you’re all forced to fork out a small fortune for a single parking spot. A walk down memory lane has never looked more scenic than when you’re doing it through the world’s most revered museums and art institutions. Although they’ve been forced to shut their doors because of the cooties, you can still scour through iconic treasures and works of wonder housed all around the world thanks to the Google Arts & Culture project. We’re talking the MoMA, the Musée d’Orsay, the Met, the Rijks Museum, the Smithsonian and even the space cadets at NASA. Whether you guys channel your inner art critic or play I Spy the phallic symbol, it’ll be an adventure that goes down in history.
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