Wednesday, May 6, 2020

10 Micro-Trends of Quarantine

Corona, corona, the world is abuzz with corona. (Sing that to the tune of "Maria" from West Side Story. That's the tune I wrote it to.) Life has changed for pretty much the entire world, and because of that, lots of people are experiencing similar things. And because of these similar situations, there are trends that are happening now. Who knows how long they'll last? Here's a post from a reader exploring some of the interesting and cool and even fun new lockdown trends. 


People will always find something interesting that will keep them sane in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis and continuous quarantine. When a trend starts to pique your curiosity and everyone out there is doing the same stuff, the next thing you know is that you’re trying it too.

When you’re obliged to stay at home, you have no other option but to do everything on your own. Make your own coffee, prepare your own food, watch movies at home, exercise at home, etc. You can’t go to any restaurant, coffee shop, gym, mall, or cinemas. Not at the moment. But the good news is, do-it-yourself things have evolved into “quaranthings.” These are the micro-trends that everybody shares on the internet.

If you want to do something new, fun, and healthy at home, try the following micro-trends of quarantine 2020:


Hygiene Essentials

This is no ordinary trend, but rather a must! Do not forget the main reason why everybody stays at home today: to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and completely eradicate the disease. The following hygiene essentials are according to the recommendation of the World Health Organization:

  • Stay at home!
  • Wear a cloth face mask
  • Keep a distance of at least 6 feet from others when in public
  • Avoid touching your face
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds
  • Disinfect using alcohol or hand sanitizer. (DIY hand sanitizers are a thing now, so if you are thinking about it, OEM your brand hand sanitizer and sell them at a competitive price!)
  • Stay healthy and exercise at home
  • Cover your mouth with a paper towel or your elbow when coughing or sneezing
  • Maintain proper hygiene


Dalgona Coffee

Dalgona coffee is actually one of the first micro-trends of quarantine. You have surely seen some of your friends posted their own version of enticing dalgona coffee. Then, you quickly browsed the internet to look for ingredients and instructions on how to create your dalgona masterpiece. Can you relate?

If you haven’t tried making one, here’s the simplest way to prepare the froth: mix coffee, water, and sugar together at a 1:1:1 ratio using a whisk, a hand mixer, or a utensil (but you’ll take longer time using this one) until it forms a foamy and creamy texture. Pour milk in a glass and put some ice cubes. Lastly, top it off with the froth you made. Voila!

Video Chat

Missing your friends, colleagues, or relatives? Need to have a meeting with your team? The easiest way to communicate with them is via video chat. In fact, video chat via social media apps, and video conferences via Zoom have never been more in demand than they are today.

TikTok

TikTok is everywhere on social media. They say it’s the extroverts’ online platform. But lately, almost everyone’s buying it. When people get bored, they rehearse dance moves, become actors and actresses from their all-time favorite films, etc. and share the videos via social media for entertainment purposes.

If you want to get on with the trend, you can just download the app and be an official TikTokerist!

Instagram Story Challenges (Template Version)

Have you been challenged by a friend to fill out an Instagram template? These are pre-made graphic layouts that contain stuff that you can relate to. You can fill them out using GIFs, checks, or other Instagram story features. After posting on your own story, you can challenge your other friends to make their own version!

Cooking and Baking

Because people can’t eat outside, they make their own version of the food that they want. Sushi, chicken wings, pasta, and many others that they can normally eat only at restaurants. There are thousands of recipes on the internet, all you have to do is look for what you want to cook or prepare and follow the instructions.

As for baking, you can do the same. Suddenly, many people know how to bake now. Simple banana bread, cinnamon rolls, cheesecakes, cookies, etc. If you’re into baking, you can try these easy baking recipes!

Puzzles

Some people find puzzles brain-stimulating. If you like going into detail, this is a wonderful activity that you should try. If you don’t have puzzles at home, you can opt to play online jigsaw puzzles. They are a good mind game to develop your focus.

Quarantine Vlogs

If you look forward to watching videos of influencers, you can watch quarantine vlogs. You can choose from informative vlogs or just merely entertaining ones. Or maybe you can create your own! If you have a camera that you can record with, create amazing quarantine content that will give value to your subscribers, set up your YouTube channel, and upload your videos.

Craft Projects

If you love craft-making, why don’t you try it at home? It’s another trend that people are so much into. You can be productive and creative as you enjoy your new-found hobby. You can try knitting, painting, sketching, crocheting, gardening, etc. You can even make great decoration ideas with empty beer bottles. Whatever interests you, just do it.

Online Class / Work From Home

Of course, we cannot put time into waste. Schools and universities have decided to continue the education of students via e-learning to avoid delayed graduation of students. At work, since employees cannot go to the office anymore, working from home is implemented. Unfortunately, some blue-collar jobs cannot allow their employees to proceed with work unless the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and the curve gets flattened.

These trends are what keep people sane and productive during these trying times. We cannot take the risk of going out and live our normal lives only to compromise our health. It will be best that stay at home and find something that we can be busy with, obey our government, and apply the recommendations of the World Health Organization. We can help the world in our own little ways, so let us.