The extent to how much our lives have become dependent on the internet is overwhelming and scary even. The connectivity drops for a minute and we get flustered.

We have gotten addicted to technology; it is a common lament. Consequently, it’s hard to imagine what was life like before that. Social media has depleted the quality of relationships. Moreover, it has impinged upon family time and family ties.

Another realization we are having is that we have shorter attention spans and we want instant gratification. Our devices have replaced a lot of things: outings, hanging out with friends, having hobbies.

All this is true! But alongside, let us acknowledge what the internet has done for us, specially during the pandemic and the consequent social distancing.

MyWifi connection is among the many things I am grateful for and consider as blessing in my life. It proved to be more so in the pandemic. Here is how:

Everything at the Doorstep

Firstly, we were able to follow the shelter in place rule, while keep ourselves connected with the world and keeping our sanity intact. The biggest blessing was that we could order everything, groceries, medicines, masks, even toys and books.

Online deliveries and curbside pickups helped us stay at home and get everything we needed. Businesses and organizations were forced to adapt and diversify their horizons overnight, which they did. I used online platforms to consult doctors, streamline tests and vaccinations for my elderly parents.

Learning Redefined through Connectivity

Secondly, my daughter’s school quickly organized online classes. We, the parents as well as teachers, were highly skeptical about the idea of online classes. We thought that the experience of real classroom couldn’t be replicated in any way. Yet to our surprise, the online classes did kick off.

Despite the many connectivity and access hiccups, the kids started learning. The teachers weren’t technology savvy at all. Yet I could see the hard work they were putting in to do their jobs, the burden parents like me were bearing to make sure that their children were attending the classes, doing their class an home tasks.

Meanwhile, most of the adults (at least the motivated lot) learnt different things during the pandemic. Many of us utilized time and technology to learn new skills. Some of us used YouTube and learning platforms to learn to cook, crochet, knit, garden, paint, do yoga, meditate, etc.

Finding Relaxation

Learning to co-exist during the pandemic was a huge issue for partners and roommates, sharing living spaces. The pandemic and social isolation put a huge strain on marriages. Being stuck together, without their normal work routines, made couples bicker-some and intolerant. My husband and I faced similar issues, until we were able to find an unusual solution.

During the pandemic, we made full use of streaming services to keep ourselves entertained. It helped us combat the anxiety of the despair and uncertainty surrounding us. As a couple, binge watching our favorite genres together gave us an activity to do together and something to look forward to do together each day.

Accessibility, Connectivity, and Affordability are All Privileges

One significant observation was the trend of women, simple housewives, not having much technical savviness coming to fore to earn livelihoods through the internet. I saw women, with bare minimum education, using their access to data connectivity to spin out entire businesses from a single smartphone. They started baking, cooking traditional dishes, selling sewed, knitted, crafted items.

Place these initiatives in a developing context and you would understand what this means. The internet is a resource that is helping in lessening the gap between the developing context and the developed one.

The internet and remote jobs are things that are allowing stay at home moms like me earn a livelihood. During the pandemic, I was able to find many writing projects that helped me make some money to meet expenses, keep things afloat.

When it comes to gratitude, every day and every minute, during the pandemic, brought the awareness how bad things were for many people out there who had lost their livelihoods and savings.

Every day and every minute, brought the awareness how bad things were for many people out there who had lost their livelihoods and savings. If you are able to live in the safety of your house, are able to afford food and other necessities of life, then you are already luckier than many out there. We should never take small privileges and blessings of our lives for-granted.

We all, in our unique ways, have learnt to survive in a world that has gotten suddenly shrunk to the confines of the four walls. After all, this is what life is all about. This is what WW4Society is all about: survival, adaptability, finding newer ways of living, working, dreaming, together!

To Sum Up

Today, while the world is again grappling with a new variant, I am truly grateful for my internet connection and my smart devices. It has helped me find resources, connections, and opportunities.

I would love to know what does web connectivity mean to you? How it has enabled you to empower yourself? I would love to hear from you!

Drop me a comment.