If you hadn’t made the leap before, the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown aggressively shoved most everyone into the virtual world, whether it was by streaming movies at home instead of going to a theater, or buying dinner via a food delivery app. Some of these things will no doubt be ditched ASAP, but others will be permanently woven into our culture going forward.
One of these with staying power, and positive benefits, is connecting virtually with loved ones. Even before the lockdowns of 2020, people had looked for ways of staying connected to their far-off family and friends. These days, we’re lucky to be able to communicate without it costing a lot. And thanks to worldwide calamity, we’re learning to get the most out of our technology. Here are some ideas for putting that powerful tech to good use by helping you connect with the ones you love:
Host a Virtual Movie Night
There's nothing quite like a movie night to get you nostalgic about cozy sleepovers from childhood. Now you can have movie nights remotely. Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus all have a group-watch feature where you can sync playback for as many as 100 participants. They’re all slightly different, but most offer video, text, or emoji communication options — so you can warn your bestie that there’s obviously a knife-wielding murderer behind that door.
Play Board Games Remotely
Who doesn’t love game night? Now you can play with your friends over Zoom. Not everyone needs to own a copy of the game, making it much easier to pull a group together. It may take some patience to get it down at first, but you can enjoy analog games like Pictionary, Clue, and Yahtzee with a group of people living far apart. You could also try a digital game like an online poker room, or Jackbox. Just grab some snacks and drinks, fire up your devices, and you’re ready to go!
Start a Virtual Book Club
We’ve all talked about doing it. Now there’s no excuse. Starting a virtual book club with your friends will force you to put down your phone and read. Along with accountability, it gives you a dedicated meeting time to catch up and see each others faces via video calls. You could also start a traveling book club, where the person who owns the chosen book reads it and then mails it off to the next person. Then once everyone is done, regroup to talk about it.
Sing Karaoke Together
Did you know that most all videoconferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Hangouts are capable of sharing your sweet, sweet voice with your family and friends? It’s true! If getting the music synced to your laptop seems to complicated, you can hire a virtual party host like Kabloom Events to get the party started and keep it going into the wee hours. No microphone necessary.