Guest Post: Celebrate your grandma’s birthday, see your parents, head to work, take the kids to a playdate, and eat out with your spouse. It all sounds normal.

Now imagine doing all of those things without ever leaving the house. 

Wait. You don’t have to imagine it. Most of us lived this reality for much of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic forced our entire lives into lockdown. 

Coping in Lockdown

We coped by eating.

We coped with binge watching streaming services. And whether we realized it or not, we used video to cope with everything from isolation, to education, to paying our bills.

Overnight those little cameras on our phone became our lifelines able to link us with the world beyond our door.

I was no longer the only family member wanting to Facetime. Suddenly relatives from four to 84-years-old wanted to connect for a video chat. It’s a trend seen worldwide during the pandemic as 63% of those with lower Internet skills began connecting more online during the lockdown. 

Connecting the Generations through Video

The need to see each other seemed heightened with so much uncertainty in the world.

For us, the issue wasn’t if we could connect with family. It was how.

Three generations, spread across three states, all versed in different operating systems and video apps. Great-grandparents used Marco Polo. Grandparents switched between Google Duo, Skype, and Facetime all to talk to my kids. 

So many different apps. But all with one thing in common — video. 

Video Connection with Clients

My husband and I juggled even more video-based apps so we could work remotely. A mix of ScreenPal, Zoom, and Slack kept us in touch professionally.

All of the apps added up. So it’s easy to understand how downloads for video conferencing apps jumped by 90% in the week after states began implementing restrictions.

Screencasting and live video conferences became daily staples for work. Live video conferences helped me stay in touch with co-workers, but it was screencasting with a screen recorder which maintained my relationship with clients. The best part was that screencasting saved us both time.

Instead of sending calendar invites or playing phone tag, I could send onboarding instructions recorded directly from my computer screen. The video editor helped me clean up videos, trim mistakes, and add company branding to my messages. The new flexibility allowed me to be creative and more productive. 

Within two months, our team was flourishing at home. Working from home forced us to streamline our entire work process. We not only saved time. We brought in more clients with our free time. 

The impact was clear.

Video helped change our company for the better. So the decision was made. And now working from home is permanent.

Connecting the Future Innovators 

It’s not only adults learning lasting lessons from the pandemic lockdown.  

Prior to the upheaval our kids enjoyed limited screen time. However, rules changed once schools closed, playdates cancelled, and grandparents began keeping their distance. Video became their link to the outside world. 

Almost one year later, their practical understanding of technology is impressive. 

At three and four-years-old, they can navigate an iPad with ease, launch a video call, and record videos. It hands on play and exploration. 

Eventually their curiosity led them to editing. Now they’re adding color, shapes, and even narration to their creations using the ScreenPal iOS app. It’s designed with beginners in mind. But don’t let that fool you. It’s the same app I use to create branded professional online tutorials for my own job.

Their video play has changed my idea of screen time. 

I no longer think of it as wasted time. They’re not watching videos all day. It hands on play and exploration. My kids are exploring, connecting, and building the basic skills they’ll need to thrive in a technology based world. 

Video Connections Helped Us Cope 

Video has done more than helped us cope. 

It allowed us to safely social distance, while maintaining important video connections. It taught lessons to each generation. And video kept businesses working despite being separated by miles. 

It’s a luxury we wouldn’t have had 20 years ago. 

It kind of makes you realize how important those little cameras are when we actually need them.