The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in numerous changes in culture and the way people communicate. Travel was banned, sports events cancelled, schools closed, and businesses shut down. What is more devastating is the individual change of behavior, such as communication patterns in different cultural aspects. Religion, the culture of eating out, and the traditional culture of greeting have been affected. Traditional communication patterns in the way people communicated in places of worship when eating out, and when interacting has been altered and likely to remain the same in the future.
Faith-based activities have been banned by various governments around the world. Large gatherings of people increase the risk of people contracting infections. Religious leaders and institutions such as churches, synagogues, and mosques have been ordered to close down (Newman, 2020). Those who violate the mandate are fined and face a possible jail term. As a result, religious leaders are conducting their activities through online platforms. People are worshipping from home and watching sermons online as opposed to the traditional culture of meeting and worshipping together.
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Newman (2020) states that the American culture of eating out in restaurants and taking fast foods have also been altered significantly. People are now cooking from home since the majority of the hotels and restaurants have been closed down. The fear and safety measures of staying at home have forced people to take drastic measures of relying on home-cooked foods and reducing their intake of fast foods. Individuals cannot enjoy the desired experienced eating out with friends and families. While communication patterns between family members increase, people are likely to have decreased communication with outside members. Family members will have increased interpersonal communication since they will be spending a lot of time together without going out. However, communication patterns with non-family members will change since there are minimal direct interactions. Communication will be automated through video calls, messaging, and the use of social media (Lima, 2020). Direct interactions, such as face to face, has been minimized to those living together.
The traditional culture of giving handshakes, hugging, and kissing to express gratitude or respect has also been severely affected. Even though such greetings are considered to be important in fostering healthy interactions and maintaining respect, the pandemic has forced the norm to change (Newman, 2020). According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 is spread through touching infected objects or staying too close to infected people. Since not every infected person is symptomatic, one cannot know whom to keep away from (Coronavirus). The easy spread of the infection mandates social distancing to reduce the chances of coming into contact with the virus. Even though it might appear rude not to extend greetings to another person, it is necessary to reduce the spread of the infection. This means that communications through mobile devices and platforms like video conferencing will replace the traditional greetings between people (Lima, 2020).
The changes in traditional culture with respect to religion, greetings, and eating out, has been affected by the COVI-19 pandemic. However, digital communication has significantly improved and replaced the traditional methods of interactions. Even though the abrupt shift of culture is costly, some expenses have been saved through digitalization. The convenience of digital communication reduces the costs of transportation and would likely extend after the pandemic. People are likely to adopt new methods of communication and completely alter their lifestyle.
References
Coronavirus. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
Lima, M. J. (2020). Live/Covid-19 coronavirus news: How the telecoms world is dealing with the pandemic. Capacity Media. Retrieved from https://www.capacitymedia.com/articles/3825122/live-covid-19-coronavirus-news-how-the-telecoms-world-is-dealing-with-the-pandemic
Newman, B. (2020). How coronavirus is affecting our lives. The New York Time. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/coronavirus-usa-03-12
