April 13, 2020

April 13, 2020 

I’m starting to think about what things may look like on the other side. I listened to a This American Life episode about China emerging from lockdown. And some of their new normal sounds like it could very likely be ours as well. While masks are no longer required, they’ve become a cultural norm and people continue to wear them. I can see this happening for folks like me who ride the metro to work - masks may become an expectation for anyone spending time in close proximity to other people. 

I hear that in order to enter any public venue, temperatures are taken with one of those infrared thermometer guns. If you have a temperature you’re not allowed to enter. I can see that becoming the norm for public events the same way bag searches and metal detectors have become. 

The most “Black Mirror” change seems to be a cell phone app that monitors your movements through GPS. If you are not traveling to infected places or sharing space with people who are sick or at high risk of being sick, you have “green” status and can travel freely. If not, a status of “red” bars you from public spaces or travel. At first blush it seems we’d never see such a thing here - and yet, as the last IPhone update showed us, we’ve already been sharing that data with everyone. What a perk it would be to have an app that acknowledged you as “safe. ” I could easily see AEG requiring its use to attend a show they promoted, or Uber as a way of ensuring the safety of both rider and driver. Such a thing won’t need to be imposed by the government it’ll be the product of a “brilliant entrepreneur “ and the next member of the billionaire club (if not already an alum) - keeping us both safe and productive. 

Of course there will be some resistance - conspiracy theories blaming the Chinese, the New World Order, or the Illuminati - but in the end it will just be more convenient, because “what do I have to hide” and “I just want to have a drink or two with my friends.” It’s all speculation now, we’re still trying to figure out how this virus works. Still I think it a good idea to spend a little thought on where this may take us.