
Bennett Teitle
Zoom Meetings/Calls
At first on the list is the iconic zoom call. Time won’t tell the countless hours that PV students spend on zoom calls during 2020, but since then Zoom class and other forms of online meetings have become much more popular. In fact, some college/online courses that PV students have taken in recent years are taught exclusively through zoom calls or video recordings.
Tiktok Trends/Dances
One of the most nostalgic, culture-defining elements of the pandemic was of course dances and trends from TikTok. Following its rebrand from Musically to TikTok in 2018, the video sharing app became the center of short form content for teenagers in the pandemic, hosting everything from dance tutorials to short stories.
Hybrid Schedule
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools including Pleasant Valley transitioned to a hybrid schedule, which quickly became loved by students. The new schedule changed the traditional five-day school week to only two or three days a week, and allowed students to learn online without feeling separated from their friends.
DIY Projects
Along with video games, baking and impromptu fashion shows, the pandemic also saw the resurgence of DIY and craft projects from the early 2010s. Larger Youtube channels such as 5-Minute Crafts or small creators on TikTok pushed out thousands of videos over the course of the pandemic from DIY origami planes to convenient life hacks, giving us something to do in our spare time.
Gaming with friends
The COVID pandemic saw a sharp rise in the number of active players in online communities at once. Some of the most memorable online games from 2020 included Fortnite, Star Wars Battlefront II, The Last of Us, and Call of Duty: Warzone. The year was huge for the gaming industry, since for many, the preferred method of having fun with friends and family was to hop on an online collaborative game.