Life Going Zoom

Many people are writing editorials or blogs on how to best utilize one's time when in self-quarantine. But I wonder if the way time is used is a crucial part of any life. Perhaps, as I have mentioned in previous entries, a change of pace gives people a chance to better examine how they are using their time, but also, conversely, how time is using them up. I am also witnessing what happens over time (to use an unintended pun) when a change of pace unexpectedly arises.
   The first stage is obviously "crisis": a time when all of one's previous routines are being disrupted, so much so that it feels like a kind of psychological death or falling out. We wonder, now that there is no contact with others, no outdoor travel, no "non-essential" shopping, etc, what do I do with all the freed up time? Of course, what often happens at this stage is that we start to fill our days with new things and new routines start to set in. Rather than using this death as an opportunity not to plan but to see life in an altogether new way, we might build a different life which features similar routines. That's when the accommodation sets in, and our lives are rebuilt after the terrible crisis.
  "Zoom" is a very good example. I have recently been getting many requests to use Zoom, as well as initiating requests for online sessions. Zoom is a software that allows for group interactions and is very user friendly. In the beginning, when I started using Zoom, it was there to fill an isolation that was left from being quarantined--and, in this sense, it becomes something that is refreshing and welcome. But later, I sense--particularly in this past week- that Zoom is another tool that re-introduces a set of routines and tasks. In itself, Zoom becomes the hub of a new online marketplace that brings all that was there before "back to normal". While this is a good thing in a way, it also shows that there is very little room for individuals to define their own routines or give themselves space to try on new identities and styles of being. But working from home is also interesting because it often entails that a person could do more, since everything is in one place and they needn't travel from one place to the next. This is where I think technologies can push people to extremes if they are not used wisely or in a considerate way.