How will we change the way we live going forward as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? This is a question that almost seems to broad to answer. From social distancing, to wearing masks, and staying home as much as possible- the future could have a lot in store for us that would we wouldn’t necessary call normal. But one thing that has happened and is sure to happen in the immediate future is doing work and schooling from home. This brings up the a big debate- what should the boundaries between work/school and home be in this new pandemic world?

Working and being educated at home are really important to slowing the spread (and ultimately containing) the virus. I have always been a person who believes there should be strict boundaries between home life, school, and work. So it is only natural to see online zoom classes as an invasion of the privacy one should have in their home. Same thing goes for working from home. Co-workers don’t need to see your house or even hear your family in the background. This technology bringing the world into your home enables people to say and do things that would otherwise be unacceptable in school or at work. In a BBC article, Zoe Kleinman said “Going forward, with lines between home and work blurred like never before, we’ll need to think carefully about which platforms we use and what we say on them.” (Kleinman). Having work and school thrust over this personal line makes your comments and actions forever accessible. This can put someone in quite a tough predicament if they were to say something offensive in the confines of their own home. Having this possibility will make people fearful of, or even make them refuse to do the majority of their lives online as a result of Covid-19.

Another way we will change the way we live as a result of the pandemic is being more fearful of bosses, teachers, and professors. In Sam Sabin’s article “Video Calling Prompts Privacy Concerns as Pandemic Drives Work, Education Online”, she says “The company also includes a feature, called “attention tracking,” which administrators can turn off as requested, that informs meeting hosts whenever someone has clicked out of the main video call webpage for more than 30 seconds.” (Sabin). This does not even give the people the privacy to even use their own computers as they wish in their own home. No teacher, professor, or boss should be able to have a picture as to what we are doing on our computers. If jobs and schools are going to transition to online for the foreseeable future than expectations are going to have to be altered as opposed to what they would be in a normal professional setting.

Our way of living is completely changing due to this pandemic. As a result boundaries between professional life and home life are being challenged like never before. If we are to continue to do this for an extended period of time, a discussion needs to be had about boundaries and respecting ones own time.

Works Cites

Kleinman, Zoe. “How Will Coronavirus Change the Way We Live?” BBC News, BBC, 30 Apr. 2020, http://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-52356136.

Sabin, Sam. “Video Calling Prompts Privacy Concerns as Pandemic Drives Work, Education Online.” Morning Consult, 17 Mar. 2020, morningconsult.com/2020/03/17/remote-work-video-conference-data-privacy/.