How to socialise online with friends and loved ones

During these times of so much uncertainty and anxiety, staying close and keeping in touch with loved ones can be one of the best things to do. Surrounding yourself with love and companionship can help anyone through the hardest of times, and it’s also a great distraction!

We are all aware of how much social media and the internet is a huge part of today’s society. Regardless of the debate around the pros and cons of social media being such a present force in every day life, it has lots of easy, accessible and fun options for being able to socialise with friends in a safe way! If you can’t see loved ones, or are in a situation that prevents a distanced meet up, this is for you! Here is a list of just some of the options available. 

Netflix Party 

Netflix is a widely used site to stream films and television shows, I think most of us are currently watching at least one thing on there! Netflix Party is a tool you can install on Google Chrome that allows you to watch a film or show at the exact same time as your friend/loved one, and you’re able to type in a chat bar alongside it! By simply typing Netflix Party into Google and clicking install, you can activate a party, send a link to the person or people you want to watch something with, and you are off! It’s fun, interactive, safe and may take away some of that Netflix binge guilt, because you’re not technically doing it alone! 

Zoom

Zoom quizzes have become highly popular during this pandemic. Alongside the app being used for work, meetings and online learning, it is a tool where you can video chat a large number of people at once and do all sorts of fun things! A popular thing to do on Zoom is to make a quiz! Grab a bunch of friends, elect a quiz master, have a great time and award some sort of prize to the winner! It’s free and can be used for a range of activities, and it’s certainly good practice for future online learning and work commitments that a large proportion of us are having to adapt to.

Discord

Discord is another site, similar to Zoom, where you can video chat your loved ones, however it is primarily used for interactive gaming! You can play games online with your friends, and use discord to be able to talk or video chat whilst you do, to make your time spent together as interactive as possible. It is a quick and easy download, and seems to be a very common site to socialise!

There are many more things you can do online to socialise with friends and family, so if you know anymore don’t be afraid to share them with the people you know!

Stay safe during these times, remember social distancing and drink some water! Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, we all need to lean on each other every now and then.

Please note: This content was created during Coronavirus, and some things might be different due to current laws and restrictions. Please refer to Government advice and the University of Lincoln for the latest information.