Now entering our third week of ‘lockdown’ in the UK many of us have become more reliant on tech for keeping us entertained, educated, caring for our well-being, keeping us fit and helping us work from home.
In this blog I’ll share my top 5 pieces of tech I’ve been using to help adapt to life and working from home in quarantine.
- Zoom
The Whiteoaks team has been regularly using Zoom, the conferencing tool which has to no surprise soared in popularity recently, receiving over 62 million downloads during one week in March — this being up a massive 90% on their downloads average in 2019. The video conference app has been great in allowing me to chat to my team, keep in touch with clients and even take part in the first Whiteoaks virtual pub quiz, which has been great for team spirit and morale!
- Netflix
Netflix has been a popular ‘go to’ for me and many others if there isn’t anything good on TV to keep me entertained in the evening. So far, I’ve binge watched the whole of Tiger King, re-watched crime series including Marcella and Luther and watched a variety of films. Netflix has also introduced a new chrome extension called ‘Netflix Party’ which allows you to watch shows with your friends and family. If you’re struggling for what to watch next Forbes has created a list.
- Duolingo
Duolingo is a language learning app that I’d recommend. It’s been helping me to pass the time as I’ve been brushing up on my Spanish skills. The app uses gamification to add a bit more of a fun element to the learning and is quite simple and effective to use.
- YouTube
YouTube has been another popular form of entertainment for me, from playlists to keep me motivated, to home fitness workouts. Videos from the likes of Joe Wicks have been massively popular, as he received over 1.2 million new subscribers in one week while he has been hosting PE lessons through the platform for children being schooled from home.
Finally, while WhatsApp is a regular app for me, I’ve increased my use of the video function to have regular catch-ups with my friends and family. Instead of the various things we’ve had planned to do we’ve made sure we take the time out to spend virtual time together.
We’re lucky that there is such a wide variety of technology to suit our personal preferences and to make life a little bit easier during this challenging time. Tech isn’t just helping us as individuals – but businesses and wider society too, a topic covered in a blog drafted by our CEO.
Moving forward, what new virtual avenues will you be exploring?
