2020, the expectations were high, but the reality was very sobering. 2020, a slide into the depths of disappointment. 2020, the year that gave a new meaning to the word “online”.

After the millennials were originally referred to as the “digital generation who can’t get their noses out of their mobile phones and who put their virtual identity above their real one”, the rest of the age groups on planet Earth have now made it into online life.

Online now no longer just means “wasted time by unnecessarily posting senseless, self-portrayal photos on Instagram”, but “working at a high level from home through the use of online video communication platforms, which most internet-averse people face minor and major challenges digital complexity “. Virtual lectures, video conferences and a coffee or two.

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Virtual Lectures

Every student’s dream. Mom cooks. Mom washes. Mom cleans. Mom does everything. University from home. Here you have the privilege of anonymous identity, after you have control of the video camera yourself and therefore never have to show your true colors. The virtual lectures have given the purpose of social platforms a complete makeover. Pose by post is replaced with learning by chilling and the convenience is far superior to the visual appearance. The only challenge is waking up in the morning, opening the laptop, and finding a comfortable position to listen to the lecture.

But best of all: everything is recorded. So you can save yourself this stress!

Virtual Office

Or also called home office. The degradation of efficiency and effectiveness, while the coffee machine and the bed continue to increase in their previously unsurpassable status. The chic work clothes are exchanged for comfortable fashion killers. The hairdresser is a foreign word to history and make-up. Unhaired, sleepy zombies with excessive sleep consumption go to the laptop at 12 noon and start a few semi-productive hours of work. But “working from home” also means “collaborating from home”. And life as human vermin is over. Conference calls are history and video communication platforms are conquering the workplace of every home officer. Suddenly the PC becomes a conference room and you become a person of “visible life” again.

Virtual Fauxpas

Who does not know it: This reluctant feeling to try something new. One or the other had palpitations before the first video conference. Rightly so … At first (deceptively) the platforms appear humane, if not practical. Features like chat, raise hands, screen sharing and much more are beyond the imagination of most participants. And the best: audio and video can be switched off! Activities such as making inappropriate comments make meetings more bearable, and time can be sensibly killed by emptying the nostrils. But the practical appearance hides unexpected pitfalls. An unintentional click, an incorrect key combination and things that should remain hidden can be publicly followed in real time by everyone involved. A real virtual faux pas!

Virtual Savior

Where skepticism about the Internet and video communication platforms predominated, enthusiasm for the technical possibilities and advantages is now predominant. The Internet as a bridge between fellow students, work colleagues, friends and families. The Internet as a lecture hall, conference room and living room. The internet as a virtual social connection despite social distancing. The Virtual Savior of 2020.