SOCIAL MEDIA.

Participatory culture is one that embraces the values of diversity and democracy through every aspect of our interactions with each other (Jenkins, 2016). The emphasize of human collaboration is seen through social media. This is seen even by just tagging people on social media. Lately people have been more interactive with others, especially on Instagram. There have been story features where you fill out questions about yourself and then tag three people to do it next. Making social media collaborative is what most social media platforms are about.

Online presence and social media is one of the only things to occupy yourself during this COVID-19 pandemic. Connecting with others online is simply one of the only ways to talk with your friends and family. Twitter is the main way many of us millennials receive news regarding coronavirus and the newest rules and regulations. I can't imagine having to be at home without social media or connection to the online world. This time would be extremely difficult without it. People wouldn't be able to continue school or work from home. I have been keeping busy by watching TikToks or watching the newest Netflix show, the Tiger King.

Another change with everything being online is the fact that my workout club I'm involved in at school is all virtual. Not having the escape of a gym and doing different studio workouts is difficult. Being on the exec team we have been trying to find different virtual workouts, you don't need equipment for. It's important to try to stay active during this time, both mentally and physically. With all this free time I've had I've been trying out different workouts all these different studios have been offering for free. You can find a bunch of at home workout videos on YouTube or Instagram! Here's an example of a workout video from Alchemy 365, a studio in Minneapolis, I did while being home:

I hope everyone is able to use this time to do things they always wish they had the time to do like puzzles, knitting, or spending more quality time with your family. It's definitely hard to keep yourself busy and distracted. With this being a helpful time with all the technology advancements we have, we've been craving more ways to be offline. Since mainly everything we do revolves around being online people are trying to pick up old hobbies or start new ones. I encourage to take this time to do whatever you've always wanted to learn.

XO,