Wherever you may land on the Introvert x Extrovert continuum, humans are fundamentally social creatures and many of the fantastic creations that make up our modern life are down to people collaborating and cooperating. It is the interactions, where a spark of shared experience or the passing on of an alternate perspective, leads to the magic of human creativity. As John Donne said in 1624 (I don’t think they had Zoom then…) – “no man is an island.”

During my time as a receptionist throughout this weird and tragic pandemic I’ve learnt that this inbuilt social yearning and support system has really been tested while we were told to stay apart.

While I sat at my island – the reception desk of our Falmer office on the empty University of Sussex campus, the eerily quiet space reverberating only with the typing of my keyboard; the occasional chat with one of the members still working in the building came to mean significantly more. Whether a catchup about weekend plans or a venting point for the day’s difficulties, two people are able to feel a bit more human.

As close to real life as technological communication can be, it doesn’t have the same potency or flavour as being in the same space as someone you’re talking to (that’s including the adequate distancing too of course). So as you are perhaps perched in front of your webcam today, on your own technological island, remember to appreciate those face to face interactions.