By Stanley Brackett

COVID-19: that’s the name of the virus that put the world on pause. Everyone was in their house surviving – trying to survive – with the little time they were allowed outside—but that didn’t stop people from getting together virtually and seeing what others were up to. During the early and middle stages of the pandemic, people were unclear on where to seek entertainment. One way the people got creative and found entertainment was by tuning into celebrity-hosted live streams on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. For instance, musical artist Tory Lanez had the record for the total number of people viewing his IG Live during the middle stages of the pandemic. But this wasn’t the only place where people were tuning in: Twitch, a popular, mainstream streaming platform, famously used by gamers and content creators, was another place viewers went online to pass the time. Even though people were separated from one another physically, media outlets simultaneously allowed people to come closer together, as everyone was on an equal footing due to the pandemic. Some people would share their struggles in forums and have a discussion on what was going on, in order to uplift their spirits and get through this. Nevertheless, people did find a way to stay connected with others during these past months. WUSB held a virtual concert via Instagram Live this past November, and we hope to hold more in the Spring until we can see (and hear) everyone live again!