What impact will the pandemic have on individual and social behaviour?
It would be naive to think that Covid-19 will leave only a politico-economic imprint on human society. Indeed, previous pandemics have altered the course of history and human behaviour itself by effecting a long-term reduction in social trust. Pandemics might stand shoulder-to-shoulder with wars and revolutions in terms of their impact.
Points to consider:
- How will human behaviour change in the aftermath of Covid-19?
- Will social distancing no longer be looked down upon?
- Will people of Chinese and Asian ethnicity face long-term discrimination around the world?
- How much worse will outcomes be for the socioeconomically disadvantaged?
References
Will organised religion ever be the same again?
The existence of God might be a controversial issue, but the one invisible force that believers and non-believers alike bow to, is the coronavirus. The images of a lonely Pope and a deserted Mecca cannot be good news for organised religion, but it has survived and strengthened in the past despite all its flaws and critiques. Even with Covid-19, religious cults all around the world have ignored warnings against large gatherings and aided the outbreak. The disease might be organised religion's greatest test in a long, long time.
- Will the banning of religious services around the world shake people's faith in religion?
- Will the alleged role played by organised religion - in Korea, US, India and other countries - in exacerbating the pandemic add to its weakening?
- Will some governments go after religious cults - Korea's Shincheonji, for example - citing their alleged role in exacerbating the pandemic?
- Will religions differ in the extent to which they're impacted?
- Can great ruin from the new coronavirus turn people towards religion, instead of away from it?
- How will different religions deal with the financial hit from the new coronavirus?
References
- Reuters - Secretive church at center of South Korea's explosive coronavirus outbreak
- Covid-19 Is a Devil Testing Organized Religion
- The coronavirus and its impact on religion
- Religious Exemptions During the Coronavirus Pandemic Will Only Worsen the Crisis
- Quartz - How religion is playing a role in the spread of coronavirus in Korea
- AP - As offerings dwindle, some churches fear for their future
- Google searches on prayer: The pandemic has increased religiosity tremendously
How will the institutions of marriage and dating change?
For every funny quarantined-with-spouse joke on social media, there are likely tens of marriages and relationships falling apart or being savaged by domestic violence. The longer the duration of social distancing, the more pressure it will put on supposedly the most powerful institution of human society. In addition, the ongoing outbreak might finally raise the much needed awareness about the possibility of contracting disease - STD, Covid-19 or any other - from a prospective date.
Points to consider:
- Will the increased rate of divorce in China be replicated elsewhere?
- Will pre-nups in future marriages have clauses to deal with possible quarantine situations?
- In future, will online dating profiles come with a "coronavirus-free" certification?
References
How will the coronavirus change journalism?
This video - "Saluting the Heroes of the Coronavirus Pandumbic" - hilariously sums up the faux pas by Right Wing pundits. It's not just them, though. Here's a tweet by the science editor of Buzzfeed, on Jan 30.
Media outlets have been wrong, deliberately or otherwise, about a lot of things. From Fox News on global warming to NYT on the Iraq War, no one's blameless. In an ideal world, media outlets would meet their comeuppance at the hands of their viewers. But the world isn’t ideal, so the change might never come. To make things worse, Covid-19 might be the final nail in the coffin of many small/local media that have hitherto been a crucial part of local communities.
There are other major changes afoot, too. Given the restriction on in-person interactions, traditional media is fast digitizing leaving behind those slow to adapt. In addition, Big Tech - already a major challenge to traditional media - might emerge even stronger post-Coronavirus.
There are other major changes afoot, too. Given the restriction on in-person interactions, traditional media is fast digitizing leaving behind those slow to adapt. In addition, Big Tech - already a major challenge to traditional media - might emerge even stronger post-Coronavirus.
- How important is the media's role in controlling the epidemic?
- Do countries that engage effectively with their media (UK, for example) have a better chance at controlling the epidemic than those that don't (India, for example), all else held equal?
- Will Covid-19 impact viewer/readership of outlets that have been dismissing its dangers?
- Will media outlets issue an apology and retraction for their erroneous reporting on the new coronavirus?
- Could a new, decentralized model of journalism emerge from this?
- What role will Big Tech play as a journalistic force?
- How will local media be impacted by the outbreak?
- What does it mean for the media to not cover - or only partially cover - the US president's press conferences?
References
- A new media model
- NYT - How Right-wing pundits are covering coronavirus
- The Nation - Fox News Has Always Lied to Old People. This Time It May Kill Them
- Wired - Is the Split Over Covid-19 Really About Politics? (PS: this article is old, and the difference between Blue and Red states is fast narrowing)
- Wired - Is the Split Over Covid-19 Really About Politics? (PS: this article is old, and the difference between Blue and Red states is fast narrowing)
- The Verge - How COVID-19 is Changing Public Perception of Big Tech Companies
- The Atlantic - The Coronavirus Is Killing Local News
- How the coronavirus could hurt the news business
What will the long-term impacts be on those born during the outbreak?
There is substantive evidence to show that children born during the 1918 Flu went on to have a substantially lower living standard as adults, than others born before and after it. They lagged behind in educational, health and other socioeconomic outcomes. Time will tell whether Covid-19 will leave a similar tragedy in its wake.
- What causes children born during a pandemic to struggle as adults?
- Will Covid-19 have a similar impact as the 1918 Flu on children born during the outbreak?
- Has anything changed between the 1918 Flu and Covid-19 to ensure that children born during it grow up to have a fair shot at life?
- Will governments design special interventions for children born during Covid-19?
References
- NCBI - 1918 Influenza Pandemic: In Utero Exposure in the United States and Long-Term Impact on Hospitalizations
- JSTOR - Long‐Term Effects of In Utero Influenza Exposure in the Post‐1940 U.S. Population
- Time - Side Effects of 1918 Flu Seen Decades Later
- Marginal Revolution - The Lasting Effects of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
What will be the impact on fertility rates?
"Quaranteens" and "Coronials" are some of the names doing the rounds for those who would be born during Covid-19. While memes predict a spike in birth rates, studies of previous pandemics might present a different picture. The change in fertility rates depends on the magnitude of impact and the demographic which is hit the hardest.
Points to consider:
- Which factors will determine fertility rates in the aftermath of Covid-19?
- Does the change in fertility rates vary with socioeconomic status?
- Has anything changed between the 1918 Flu and Covid-19 so that the latter will have a different - or no - impact on fertility rates?
References
- Will the Coronavirus Spike Births?
- The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918 Explain the Baby Boom of 1920 in Neutral Norway
- JSTOR - The 1918 influenza pandemic and subsequent birth deficit in Japan
- Time - Side Effects of 1918 Flu Seen Decades Later
- Disease and Fertility: Evidence from the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Sweden