For people worldwide stuck indoors, staying entertained is a top priority. According to The New York Times, social media and streaming services have seen incredibly sharp upticks in website traffic.

Senior Sam Tuit believes that quarantine has changed his viewing habits. “I’m watching more YouTube than I would normally, and fewer movies,” he noted in a Facebook message. “I usually watch movies with friends, and it’s not like we can just get together and watch something these days.”

Currently, Tuit is making his way through YouTube content from the cooking magazine Bon Appétit. “The main series I’ve been getting into is ‘It’s Alive.’ It focuses on cooking with fermentation and microbes — sourdough bread, cured egg yolks, ginger beer, that sort of thing,” he said. He likes the show because of its “laid-back style” and comedic tone, where other chefs working nearby make their way in. “It’s fun to see these professional people getting derailed by their friends and co-workers. It gives me hope that there’s still fun in the world after college.”

Other students are finding new ways to engage with the arts. Junior Amelia Berglund is a member of the Calvin Theater Company. She has been taking advantage of the time to watch theater productions online through independent companies such as Starkid, which posts professional videos of its performances on YouTube. Local theater companies have also been streaming their productions through platforms like Facebook Live.

Like Tuit, Berglund also believes her viewing habits have changed as part of quarantine. “I have more time to keep up with my YouTube subscriptions, and am finally starting a few shows on Netflix that I’ve been meaning to watch,” she said. 

However, she has been intentional about finding ways to connect virtually over the arts with friends. “I think a big thing for me is I’ve actually set up times each week to watch TV or theatre productions with my friends,” she said. “We’ll video chat and press play at the same time, so we can enjoy the show together even remotely.”

In response to a Facebook post from Chimes, students and alumni also reflected the use of streaming platforms by mentioning shows like Hulu’s “12 Monkeys,” and content from Disney+ like “Agent Carter” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

Faculty also weighed in. Professor Won Lee in the religion department has been watching “Shtisel,” a series about an orthodox Jewish family in Jerusalem, which Lee was attracted to because of his background in Old Testament studies. Professor Matt Lundberg, also of the religion department, has been watching Amazon Prime’s alternate-history series “The Man in the High Castle,” which depicts a world where the Axis powers won World War II. 

Many professors, such as Kristine Johnson and Stacey Wieland in the English and communication departments, respectively, have been engaging in family-friendly fare such as “The Great British Baking Show,” in addition to live concerts by artists like Chris Thile, Yo-Yo Ma, Indigo Girls, Béla Fleck and Jason Mraz.