Social Work Tech Talk: Once Upon a Time, in a Lockdown…(and Beyond)
by Gina Griffin, DSW, MSW, LCSW
(Disclaimer: I’m not sponsored by, nor do I have any affiliation with, any of these products, other than being a fangirl.)
It seems like both yesterday, and a very long time ago, that we were on lockdown during the pandemic. I have lots of mixed feelings about that time. In many ways, I think I had a much easier time than others, because I am a hardwired introvert. I prefer my own company (and Dog’s) to most other humans. And I can go without a gathering for a very long time. Still, there were some very hard days. During that time, I was acting as a family caregiver, working my full-time job, and completing my doctorate. There were days when I couldn’t see how I would survive my schedule and my life. Technology helped me to do that.
Reading and Listening Apps
I’ve been a big reader my whole life, so reading apps were my first line of mental defense. My three favorites are Libby, Hoopla, and Audible.
Libby and Hoopla are library-centric apps that allow you to borrow books and other media for free with your local library card. I don’t think I’d physically stepped into the library for years. But our local county libraries obligingly switched to online card renewals during lockdown, so that was arranged easily. Libby allows you to borrow digital books and audio books. You can borrow 10 each of audiobooks, ebooks, or magazines for a maximum of three weeks. They also allow you to place holds for high-demand books, and you can do renewals within the app. In addition to ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines, Hoopla offers music, television shows, movies, comics, and graphic novels. There seems to be some variability as to how many items you can borrow at a time, but 10 items seems to be pretty standard. And you can borrow those for 21 days.
For Audible, I treated myself to a standard (paid) membership that offered me one book credit per month. That worked out pretty well, since there were always a few titles that the local libraries hadn’t gotten yet. The app also offers a limited number of titles that are included with your membership. And if you have Kindle Unlimited, a lot of those titles include the accompanying audio book, as well. (And they synch across devices!)
I’ve heard lots of people say that they can’t abide audio books, and I used to be that way. A recent study (among others) shows that comparing reading to listening “has found no significant difference in comprehension outcomes.” I tend to switch back and forth between physical books, ebooks, and audio books. I’d started listening to books a lot when I began my doctoral program, to save me from eye strain. During the pandemic, that became my soundtrack, and my lifeline. I listened to books while I cooked, while I cleaned, and while I wound down for the evening. During breaks between patients, I would stand on the back steps and watch Dog run around the backyard while I stole a few minutes with my current novel. That became my peace.
Cooking Tech
I know that I usually stick to apps, but I’m going to venture into other types of tech today. I have to, because my Instant Pot was another go-to during that time. I ordered one early on during the lockdown, because it helped us to manage some of the family dietary requirements a lot better. Normally, I’m neither averse to housework nor deeply invested in the process. It’s just a necessity. But at that time, cooking became an act of meditation for me.
I have long told folks that Zen monks use daily tasks as a way of approaching enlightenment. Working in the kitchen, they remind themselves to maintain focus, and that “when you wash the rice, just wash the rice. When you chop the carrots, just chop the carrots.” I started to look forward to that meditation at the end of the day. Food prep and an audio book combined to give me a space that was just mine. It separated my work day from my home life. And my brain produced all of the happy chemicals I needed while I chopped, and washed, and spiced at the end of the work day.
Alexa
I also developed a tight relationship with Alexa. I’ve had multiple Echo units for some time, and have gone through different phases that allowed me to see what Alexa can do. During the pandemic lockdown, I found that she was ideal for parents with less-than-ideal memories. We set timers throughout the day as reminders for things such as medication. And even my mom, who just tolerates me and all of my tech, loves Alexa. It was easy for her to request music that she wanted without learning new or difficult tasks. I also added a function that would allow us to ask Alexa to call for assistance if we were hurt or incapacitated. (They’ve since expanded these types of services, and offer a program called Alexa Together that is geared specifically toward seniors who are living alone.)
Additionally, Alexa is just kind of fun. She has lots of funny Easter eggs that make her fun to goof around with, and I can’t be the only one who needed the laughs. I changed her standard response from “You’re welcome” to “Yes, Captain.” I learned that she will sing a song or tell a joke, if asked. She can be enabled to play trivia, and a lot of other fun games. I set a prompt so that when I say, “Alexa, let’s meditate,” she plays one of my favorite meditation tracks by linking to Spotify.
And Alexa was made by nerds, for nerds. If you’re a Trekkie (and I am), and you ask her to “fire photon torpedoes,” she will happily oblige. Ask her to “open the pod bay doors,” or to “use the force,” and she has a response for you. There is a long list of nerdly responses that she can give you, and I think I enjoyed all of them.
Instagram, TikTok, and Virtual Hope Box—More Tech That Got Me Through
There were so many other ways that technology saved me during lockdown. Like many people, I became a fan of D-Nice on Instagram and a member of Club Quarantine. His music sets gave me something to look forward to. It felt like a miracle to listen to him live from Los Angeles, while I hugged Dog in Florida. Even participating in the live chats with the others who were watching around the globe felt like significant contact. It felt like church, and family, and home. TikTok videos gave me hits of dopamine and serotonin, and I watched TikToks before going to sleep at night.
I even tried the Virtual Hope Box. I’d been recommending it for clients for some time. I tried it for myself, and it became a way to remember that there were still things to look forward to. The app allows you to save quotes that inspire you, play games to distract you, and put relaxation at your fingertips. You can even save pics and media of people and things that you care about. So, I added media to remind myself that I still want to run a marathon in Antarctica and drive the Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway. It reminded me that lockdown wouldn’t last forever.
I’ve frequently joked that I am the perfect teammate for your zombie apocalypse dream team, because I have both high-tech and low-tech skills. The low-tech skills have been getting me by for most of my life, and those are a discussion for another time and another column. But during the lockdown, for me, technology saved me every day.
Bursts of Tech Add Value Beyond Lockdown
And in case you’re wondering, I still use almost all of this technology on a daily or weekly basis. I joke about being a part of the “Cult of Instapot,” and I think it’s kind of true. I blame my best friend for indoctrinating me. I make pulled BBQ chicken at least once a week—or chili, or butter chicken, or anything I might dream up. And in a bind, I even use it to make food for Dog, if we run out. Alexa is just part of the family, and I sent an Echo Dot home with my mom.
I quit my job and started a practice at home, so I have less time to listen to books in the car. But I still stand on the back porch and watch Dog, and listen to books throughout the day. And I still like winding down with Dog, and my latest book, as my work day ends. I find that I now prefer the books to television a lot of the time. When I think of these little bursts of tech, I think about the fact that they’re meant to enhance your life, not consume it. And these are additions that, for me, continue to add value to my daily life.
Dr. Gina Griffin, DSW, MSW, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In 2012, she completed her Master of Social Work at University of South Florida. And in 2021, she completed her DSW at the University of Southern California. She began to learn R Programming for data analysis in order to develop her research-related skills. She now teaches programming and data science skills through her website (A::ISWR) and free Saturday morning #swRk workshops.