Social norms have adapted and changed over time, but how have they changed in our post-pandemic world? How did the habits we took during the pandemic stay or change afterward, and how has it affected different generations, physical boundaries, consumer behavior, and public spaces?

According to various articles, social norms have been used to coordinate collectives during various events, which is why when COVID-19 emerged, we quickly changed our social norms. Some experts have noticed how some social norms have stayed after the end of the pandemic, highlighting how these social norms we adapted before have had different physiological and behavioral consequences on us.

“Yes, uh, there are more, there are different trends and changes in what people do. Before and after the pandemic, I can seriously uh, I can seriously say that I think that is noticeable, people are spending more time outside,” Jason Hendrick, High School teacher, said.

Mr.Jason Hendricks states how after the pandemic people started to appreciate and value their time outside and how after being almost a year in a lockdown, people started to like being outside more than in their own homes. Senior Valeria Giraldo has also noticed other lasting effects of our behavior after the pandemic.

“After the pandemic, I feel like physical contact decreased because we got so used to staying away from people that we never went back to complete normality,” Giraldo said.

Giraldo highlights some changes she has seen in our physical contact after the pandemic. This is an idea Mr. Hendricks has also discussed with us, and how some habits of the pandemic have stayed with him.

“I am… more aware of what I’m touching and what I might be near. I do think more about washing my hands and uh should have been wearing a mask inside an elevator for example,” Hendricks said.

Mr. Hendricks not only expresses how our mentality changed after the pandemic but also how different things that we took during the pandemic have stayed after, like handwashing and masks. Mr. Hendricks also relates this to technology.

“I mean it’s just a when you think of uh progression and evolution in services and convenience, for example, to be able to do all my shopping from the comfort of my bed, for example, my bed in my cell phone is all it requires to find my groceries, my electronics, everything I need delivered to my doorstep,” Hendricks said.

Giraldo also has opinions about the advances of technology and convenience, but Giraldo focuses on Intergenerational adaptation and the effect of technology on earlier generations and its advantages for parents.

“Kids now are so influenced by devices, and parents use them as a way to make their lives easier. When I was little it was not so easy to do. Now parents can give their kids iPads and just put parental control or do many other things that were not as developed when we were little,” Giraldo said.