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Every one of us is experiencing various emotions as a consequence of this quarantine. Back then, I had no idea that Coronavirus would make the whole world bleed, and that the lockdown wouldn't last too long. Yet, it has been a year since face-to-face classes were suspended, a year has passed, and we still haven't gotten back to our normal routine; in fact, we were placed under enhanced community quarantine again last week. I often dwell on how much this Pandemic has affected people, not only in terms of health, but also in many other facets of our society. Indeed, the world has fallen apart in front of our very eyes. Thus, it has never been easy for me, and of course, it is unlikely to be easy for anyone else as well.

Everyone's quarantine experience is unique. Many of us are confronted with difficulties that are both frustrating and overwhelming. I strive to maintain a social distance from others, but it makes me feel lonely and sad at the same time. Nonetheless, I am constantly attempting to cope with tension and psychological distress. For instance, since I can't meet my friends in person and I desperately want to go out but don't have the opportunity, I instead spend time with my family. We watch films together and sometimes sing along with my cousins when there is no schoolwork. I think it is something I didn't do much before lockdown as I often go home late at night due to school-related extracurricular activities.

I used to do a lot of video shooting at various events both inside and outside of school, but that has all stopped now. Despite this, I continue to edit videos at home during lockdown, but it feels very different than it did before, for reasons I can't explain. Admittedly, this current paradigm of doing almost everything at home is difficult, but at the same time, I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to develop new skills and expand my knowledge by watching tutorials and how-to videos on social media. Occasionally I sketch, play instruments, games, and listen to music. Of course, maintaining social connections is important for me to keep in touch with my friends. And by doing so, I purposefully keep myself distracted from negative thoughts and feelings.

Apart from that, during ECQ, I began reading the Bible more frequently, which has helped me greatly improve my mental wellbeing. Prayer gives me hope and confidence and that trusting Him and His words are truly the greatest weapon for everyone's battle in these uncertain and troubled times when I can feel uneasy, discouraged, guilty, or perhaps even happy. Once more, I've never thought about it before, but in the face of the future's uncertainties, I hope we can hang on to each other with a brave heart. Thus, I still keep in mind that taking good care of myself will better prepare me to care for others as well.

Technology has come a long way, and so the digital publishing industry has come as far as we have ever thought possible. Owing to restrictive conditions, many of us remain at home which is why we're constantly hanging out on the internet. I myself cannot disregard the fact that the way I read has changed enormously, and that these trends appear to be very precise. Nowadays, I'm constantly drawn to more creative and appealing content, and so I always expect something unique. It has been pointed out that users need better reading experience and more engaging stories. It is obviously a challenge for digital publishers to keep abreast with the quality of content and to deliver their very best work. It's really necessary, of course, that it's easy to access.

Among such trends, I prefer the idea of adopting interactive content. I agree with what has been said that by integrating audio and video elements, they can render a publication into an enjoyable experience. In fact, adding visuals to a text can substantially increase public interest, as they are better suited at engaging people. Digital publishers may also provide more, such as links, audio files, GIFs, graphs, maps, and other interactive features. In brief, we all need more than just text to make it more interesting. Thus, not only is this kind of concept more efficient in catching the interest of the people, but perhaps the creation of interactive content often appears to be more shared on social media making it a powerful trend to use in digital publishing strategy.

@bertongbigtime

As digital publishers have been trying to ensure that they remain ahead of the trend, they are beginning to generate digital information through podcasts. Tarra Quismundo, a journalist, recently released a Valentine’s Day episode of YTL (‘Yung Totoo Lang) in Spotify. It deals with love scams that are really timely not just because Valentine's Day is coming, but also because they are really occurring everywhere. Since a lot of people resort to online dating applications, this pilot episode about love scams is truly insightful for us to know what we need to look for and avoid. Honestly, as a listener, I commend that kind of content in general because a lot of fake news and disinformation were scattered across the online community. Therefore, I definitely assume that it will sell to all listeners too.

Spotify is turning into a successful strategy for many digital publishers (Litsa, 2019). As Tarra Quismundo said, YTL has now grown from a radio show to a podcast using an amazing app called Spotify. So, they're going to have an extended scope since it can now be heard at any moment and anywhere, we are. It's simpler than ever to listen to every podcast when we're on the go. Furthermore, Spotify has the most youthful user base (Spotify Usage and Revenue Statistics, 2020) and in fact, it can also help boost awareness in a targeted way. With more than 299 million users across 92 markets worldwide, it is indeed an effective channel for digital publishers who wish to use the power of audio storytelling to spread their awareness campaigns.

Nowadays, people are filming themselves and doing insane things to make themselves viral. Even so, there have been other people who have gone viral by literally sleeping, one of whom is the guy who was able to find a peaceful moment to nap during Super Bowl 54 in Miami. I suppose it went viral because so many people wish to attend the event, and a lot of dedicated fans paid thousands of dollars, let's say almost 300,000 just to watch, but one man was able to sleep there. Some users on social media, especially on Twitter, found it hilarious, and several of them twitted it with the caption "The world's most expensive nap," while others quickly created an entertaining meme that garnered likes, comments, and shares. Surprisingly, that kind of content can fully participate individuals, thus it went so far as to end up making it a thing on some streaming sites.

I was literally thrilled to find out that other people are also making money by just streaming themselves sleeping overnight. There are some live streams that I've watched on other platforms where they're just sleeping, and people are obviously using that trick to get followers through the night, but little did I know they can get real money by doing that. Yuansan and Asian Andy were among those who tried the sleep-streams, which have attracted millions of viewers. With our previous reading assignments, we've always mentioned that engaging audiences are very advantageous. To be a famous vlogger or an influencer, there are tips to take on how to become one. Apparently, they didn't just go viral because of meaningful content, but because people enjoy joining the live chat section, particularly with what Asian Andy had been doing.

Anyone can now set up a text-to-speech recognition for live streams, mostly on the Twitch app, and by doing so, if viewers send a donation, you'll hear their message live on stream for you and your viewing audience to hear. With that being said, it can be really interesting and actually allows people to enjoy, a lot of viewers will be lured to comment and make donations as well, thus increasing people's engagement. If we think about it, the streamers are really using the technique, that's something completely different. Interactive and engaging things is legitimately effective at accumulating views, followers, and of course some extra cash, which is why more and more streamers are trying this tactic out to keep fans engaged.

@bertongbigtime