We’ve felt displaced physically and emotionally too. Rather than commute into a different neighbourhood or city where we spend our day, many of us have used our homes as a makeshift office, nursery, school and house.
Some of us have decided to move out of the city to enjoy the benefits of having more space and fresher air in the countryside, while still being able to work for organisations based in the city.
This builds on pre-existing trends of many young people wanting to use their freedom of travel to move abroad and become digital nomads, something that Brexit will definitely hinder.
Likewise, rather than sit around a table with our team or classmates, or in a shop with our colleagues, our faces have become squares on a digital platform with emojis replacing body language.
The same can be said of communal activities in our neighbourhoods, where we don’t go anymore to gigs, the gym or bars where we’d bump into new people or at least be surrounded by strangers, but instead schedule online calls or parties with our close ties.
As importantly, the same can also be said of particular rituals we used to partake together, commuting on a bus or train, coffee in the company canteen, meeting up with a friend for a laugh or a cry and even going to weddings or funerals to celebrate or mourn together.
What new rituals should we create to compensate those that have been displaced?
If people are taking a walk around the park or their neighbourhood to use the time they would have otherwise have commuted, how can we use the spaces they pass through or use to signpost them to other neighbourly activities and encourage them to get involved?
If people want to take a virtual coffee break like they would have done in the office rather than going from one teleconference to the next, how could safe co-working spaces in neighbourhoods provide watercooler moments between local people using them to generate innovation at a hyperlocal level?
If people can use their homes more to make lunch rather than go to the nearest supermarket, what opportunities are there for people to get involved in communal activities to grow, make and trade food, like the People’s Supermarket or Sunday Soup?
If people don’t need to use up time to commute but this is counterbalanced by childcare or other caring commitments, how about a four day week that some countries and businesses are experimenting with?
