The world right now is scary and weird. But humans are also funny. We react to situations in really odd ways. Here are some of my predictions of behavioural/societal changes I reckon we’ll see as a direct result of this pandemic.

• Heaps of pets will be sent back to shelters from people who wanted company during lockdowns but can’t fit them into an active non-iso lifestyle. (This article reckons it may happen earlier, if people who have income uncertainty abandon their pets.)

• Huge increase in podcast titles, especially DIY home productions. There’s probably a podcaster living on your street right now TBH.

• Running will become Australia’s top mode of exercise. Exercise is one of the four reasons to leave the house, running has a low barrier to entry (shoes and sports bra) and gyms/the beach/public pools/yoga studios are all off limits.

• We’ll see a temporary dip in professional athlete performance because they haven’t had the chance to practice with coaches and nutritionists in gyms.

• 2021’s flu season will be mild because people finally understand how to sneeze (into ya elbow) and wash their hands, and finally understand why going out/going to work/taking public transport when ill is selfish.

• Working from home will be socially acceptable (and not just raise eyebrows because everyone thinks you have a job interview to sneak to).

• More Aussie households will get NBN.

• Rise of officeless businesses – not just talking about freelancers, but small to medium sized businesses who will instead rely on the cloud and tools like Zoom, and perhaps meet up once or twice a month IRL at a cafe or rented meeting room.

• Live streaming events (especially conferences and workshops) will finally take hold and feel ‘valuable’ and worth paying for.

• Reduction in unnecessary interstate travel between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne for sales people and agencies who finally realise that Zoom does the trick.

• The average number of entertainment subscriptions per household will increase. Think Stan, Disney+, Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix.

• Australians will support the local tourism industry more/earlier/before international tourist destinations.

• More people will get travel insurance.

• Australia Post will see profits increase YOY with everyone getting shit delivered.

• Move over athleisurewear, fashion will now embrace loungewear that work for at home or for running errands (ahem, daily walk for exercise). I’ve noticed most of the fashion retailers now have curated collections, sales and EDMs dedicated to stylish knits and fleece that work in multiple contexts.

• Zoom make up will be the ‘fake no makeup’ version of Instagram makeup.

• The average Aussie will now generally have a buffer of essential groceries at home (vs. only buying shit when it runs out).

• New Australian homes will be designed with giant cupboards for toilet paper reserves. (Half joking but half maybe not.)

• New Australian homes will be designed with ‘safe’ areas to hide food/parcels/deliveries for contactless delivery so goods can’t be seen from the street and are protected from the elements. (Bigger mail boxes perhaps?)

• Really small and really big music festivals will come back first. The little guys are nimble and run lean operations, and were less affected because their festival was not their main income source (huge assumption that they have a day job but hear me out). The big guys have the money, teams and resources to pump out events quickly and secure permits and lineups. It’ll be the medium-tier, 4K-15K capacity festivals that will struggle because they’re only getting income from live music, and were probably just breaking even before COVID-19 happened.

• App dating culture may change slightly, with single peeps being more open to the idea of phone or video chats as a viable and non-weird first date. It’s like that screening phone call that recruiters do before that first job interview IRL. Also active dates (e.g. ‘iso walks’ and hikes) may continue being a fun first date idea.

• There will be a surge in mental health issues and service uptake. I’ve seen so much coverage for the economic and health risks of COVID-19, but now that we’ve triaged the most immediate issues, we’re going to see psychological wellbeing become a bigger priority.

• We’re going to see a huge, HUGE influx of new movies, TV shows and music in the 6-24 months after lock downs end (enough time for content creators to finish new projects). The market is going to be saturated as hell.

• And we’ll all come out the other end of this with really wild hair that needs to be tamed, unless you’re brave enough to do it yourself.

Agree? Disagree? Have no opinion but want to talk to someone? I am pretty much staying at home except to get groceries once a week and for a daily walk around the block so hit me up and don’t be alarmed if I respond within 2 minutes.