Lockdown letter: humanising business and media
In celebration of the humanising effect that the crisis is having on business and media. And thank you to the influencers and journalists that are helping us along the way.
This is my fourth lockdown letter.
I’ve become irrationally irritated by the bakers, creatives, gardeners, homeschoolers and language learners posting motivational content around the internet. A good crisis for me will be coming out the other side with my mental and physical health intact, and without destroying any relationships.
We learnt this week that the lock has been extended for another three weeks in the UK. It takes 21 days to form a habit. Whatever your view of social media lockdown motivators, the COVID-19 crisis is going to cause some fundamental shifts in human behaviour.
Personal and professional lives blur
The blurring of personal and professional life has been a feature of the crisis. It’s having a positive and humanising impact on the business sphere. Every calls starts with a personal check-in and idle chit chat.
We’ve become used to seeing colleagues working from their bedrooms and clients at their kitchen tables. Home life goes on around us all. Meetings are frequently interrupted by partners and children.
Was it really only three years ago that Professor Robert Kelly, an associate professor in political science at Pusan National University, became an internet sensation when his children walked into his study during a live BBC news interview?
The baby and toddler were followed by Kelly’s wife who did her best to pull their children out of shot. If this happened in 2020 it wouldn’t attract a murmur of attention let alone become an international news story and clock up 40 million YouTube views.
Lockdown creates space for influencers and personality
We’ve become used to seeing journalists, politicians and subject matter experts speaking via webcam from home during lockdown. Occasionally you spot someone that has carefully arranged their backdrop, but attic rooms, messy bookshelves and cluttered kitchens are the norm.
The crisis has created the space for journalists and presenters to bring their personality into reporting. It’s refreshing. Welsh BBC weatherman Owain Wyn Evans closed out his forecast this week from home with a drum solo of the BBC News theme tune.
Internet influencers have stepped forward to fill gaps left by mainstream media or have spotted new opportunities to engage with their audiences to support them through the crisis.
Joe Wickes, The Body Coach, runs exercise sessions on YouTube each morning for his two million subscribers. Martin Lewis, MoneySavingExpert has worked hard to explain the support available from the government to people facing financial hardship via his newsletter, Twitter and website. Jack Munroe, food writer, journalist and activist is helping her community cook its way through lockdown.
High profile influencers inevitably attract attention but there’s lots of good work on Instagram and Tik Tok where influencers are helping their communities with learning, mental health and wellbeing. Please ignore my grumpiness about lockdown motivators.
We’ve accepted a significant reduction in production quality in mainstream radio and television. Camera phones, webcams and broadband audio have replaced HDTV and 4K on news bulletins. It’s rough around the edges but also has a refreshing and humanising effect.
Graphic designers and web conferencing providers have spotted an opportunity to provide professional backdrops for meetings. Microsoft Teams allows you to blur your background and it added a series of backdrops this week. Zoom allows you to insert your own image.
Impact on home working the home workspace
There’s been a shift to home working in the UK over the last decade as communication and technology has eliminated the barriers between home and office. Culture remains the biggest hurdle in most organisations but it’s inevitable that working from home will become more acceptable once the crisis is over.
We’ll cease to apologise for arranging work around family life and will never ever complain about a noisy household. Home desks will be styled for video conference meetings. There’s already been a rush on cameras, microphones, and lighting kit from internet stores.
I’ve created a Facebook community of practice with the aim of exploring the future of the media, marketing and PR business. This week we’ve been thinking about the future of print media. Please come and join us.
Stay indoors and stay safe. We can fight the virus together. This too will pass.
