BEING A DIGITAL CONTRARIAN DURING COVID — THE BLUEZONERS COME BACK

The COVID pandemic has created the online fear of missing out (FOMO) phenomenal where there is an urgency to digitalize any business. Everyone is rushing to jump into the online boat — a great thing to happen but we also need to be careful not to lose focus.

Ever since the lockdowns around the world have started, there is a surge on all things online — from services like food deliveries and fitness classes, to remote working (which I am a fan of) and video conferencing, to an explosion content creation on social media bringing human interaction to next level.

I see my kids and kids around my kids glued in front of TV screens or mobile devices and it is becoming harder and harder to get them out of it. As a society, we are becoming twisted social creatures and the COVID lockdown — aside from the disease itself — can bring consequences to business and individual health.

For business — what are the risks for a sharp online turn?

• The online marketplace is overcrowded, especially now. Entering in a rush without much experience or knowledge may result in failure.
• Pivot too fast may blur your core value. COVID will finish and life will resume, so instead of staying put, use this time to get ready for reopening instead.
• Overspending to invest online that may not generate as much ROI as you expected, or as fast as you expected, so be careful of FOMO because your competitors may be doing the exact same thing.
• Online presence can indeed attract positive attention for a while but without a strategy in place it will not be long lasting because 1. There are many options on the internet 2) Online marketplace has little barrier to entry and oftentimes, you end up in a price war.

So what should companies do now?

• “Sharpen your sword” for the next battle and invest time on making your business even more solid to reopen.
• Enjoy the discounts available to you now. Benefit from the discounted world and use it at your benefit. Learn something new — invest in education, a high-quality asset that does not lose intrinsic value.
• Don’t get fooled by the “this time is different”. What I have learned from history is that people don’t learn from history. Also 1929, 1987, 2000, 2007 were “different and deadly”.
• Support your stakeholders and employees. We are all suffering, but your little support will be remembered. COVID is like glue, poisonous like glue but can make your company stronger if the right approach is used.

For individuals — what are the risks for a sharp online turn?

• Too much dependency on online, especially at night, can affects night sleep. If you sleep badly you become in a bad mood and productivity will decrease.
• Online exposure and stimulus trigger your flight or fight response. This will impair your adrenal glands and effects are detrimental. When you get emails, messages, or even 100 likes, it will keep you in an alert state that is detrimental in the long run.
• Being internet dependent will make you lose focus on those around you. You are together but you are not, don’t let COVID be your excuse.
• Social media brings you a fake sense of satisfaction and make relationships “easier” to handle. An online social connection can bring emotional satisfaction as this type of communication is still social in nature and we as human get satisfaction from social activities. However, it may seem that these digital interactions are satisfactory on the surface, but there is something within us to tell us the truth that these interactions are not enough. Younger generations are particularly vulnerable to social media. The “iGeneration”(born between 1990–1999) is nurtured around technology and social media, face to face interaction has dropped and it has become increasingly difficult to get out of a digitally social driven life.

What should individuals do now?

If anyone has ever read “The Blue Zones” this is the right time to do it. Turn your life into a happy one — as it is the only “disease” that has a 100% death rate. To make a happy, and possibly long life I always analyse the concepts behind the Blue Zones.

• Deepen your relations with those around you and set time limit to use your phone.
• Plan your next “cheap” holiday. Help tourism companies by spending with them and get the best deals for you. Make sure you bring the iGeneration member in your family with you.
• Reach out to those that are out of your comfort zone. Use COVID as an “excuse” to call that uncle you don’t see often, he will appreciate this gesture very much.
• Eat like the Blue Zoners. Since everyone is a home chef these days, explore new recipes, eat clean and continue that a good habit even after COVID is over.
• Breathe. Follow breathing, meditation techniques blogs. We live in a noisy world, mother nature has asked for silence, let’s respect it.

There is no doubt that digitalization is our future world, in fact, it is our world now. I also spend a lot of my time, for work and leisure, online but as human we need interactions, not just online shallow ones but deep and real ones like those from the Blue Zone. One day, our gyms, restaurants, resorts, even cities will be full again because people will realize that online living will never replace our real life offline. Social interactions must remain, Oxytocin needs to flow like red wine during the week of Palio in Siena.

To me, COVID is a marathon, I want to run it well and getting out of it with a runner high. The world will all be alright, or, it will be the end of world (but this time please learn from history).