Imagine sitting in history class, probably halfway asleep, trying to learn about something that took place over 100 years ago. While that war or that disease might have seemed boring to you, real-life people experienced these events that so many of us could not imagine. Have you ever thought about who will be sitting at your desk 100 years from now, learning about our history? The real question is, what will they be learning? Students will learn about the devastating pandemic that shut down the world, the dramatic changes for our healthcare workers, and even TikTok, the social media app that has affected generations. While these events might seem so current at the moment for us, they are truly going down in history.

It is crazy to think that there was a time when someone coughing in public was not a big deal. It could mean someone had a cold at most. Now, not only does coughing in public feel illegal, but it could also mean isolation from the outside world for two weeks. Covid-19 has had tremendous effects on the world in many different ways, our economy being one of those. According to the CommonWealth Fund “During the 15 weeks from mid-March to the end of June, Americans filed nearly 49 million new claims for unemployment benefits.”. In just 15 weeks so many people lost their jobs. Places like restaurants were hit hard when quarantine took place. People simply could not work. The Coronavirus has impacted many physical things. It has impacted families, jobs, school, health, and much more, but to see the full picture the mental impact that has taken place needs to be viewed as well. The health organization KFF points out “A KFF Health Tracking Poll from July 2020 also found that many adults are reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus.”. These numbers just go to show how big the effect truly is. When there is a mix of stress from not knowing what each day will look like with people’s jobs, themselves, or their family’s health, on top of not being able to see other people, it starts to take a toll on people mentally. Covid-19 has changed people mentally and physically like never before and will be something to remember.

When someone is feeling sick, maybe they are running a small fever, what do they do? Chances are they are going to go to the doctor to get help. Then when Covid-19 hit, that became one of the only things people could still do, outside of going to the grocery store. Now, most people work from home if they can. Many things, like schools or meetings, have become virtual. In general, most jobs have changed. Although there is one job that has changed in the complete opposite way. While most people are staying at home, healthcare workers are working harder than ever. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) states “The psychological burden and overall wellness of HCWs (healthcare workers) has received heightened awareness, with research continuing to show high rates of burnout, psychological stress, and suicide.”. With overflowing hospitals and the heightened chances of getting themselves or their loved ones sick, healthcare workers are dealing with high levels of stress and many more things that are damaging their mental health. Watching this take place has changed the world’s view and respect they have for these brave men and women in the healthcare field.

In this day and age, the world is connected through social media. In the early 2000s teens could get home from school and hop on MySpace. Now there is Instagram and Snapchat for high school students to chat, or maybe someone’s mom just posted about how much they love their new casserole recipe on Facebook. Now for many ages, TikTok is the biggest social media app out there. Wallaroo Media shows “TikTok is available in over 150 countries, has over 1 billion users, and has been downloaded over 200 million times in the United States alone. “. Tiktok in just its short time out in the world has accumulated a large number of users. The difference with TikTok, however, is that it can be used by almost anyone no matter the age; and gives everyday people the opportunity to experience a taste of TikTok fame. According to Billboard “Charli D'Amelio has become the first TikTok user to reach 100 million followers.”. Charli was just a regular 16-year-old girl and is now known to be the biggest creator on the app. There have also been many TikTok stars like Nessa Barret, Dixie D'Amelio, and more who have released music. According to Billboard Dixie D'amelio's song Be Happy has reached number 41 on the Billboard charts (Zellner). While TikTok seems like just another social media app, it has changed so many people and will be remembered in history.

What better to describe the current period we live in now than a deadly pandemic that changed lives forever, the brave healthcare workers who risk their lives every day, and TikTok, the social media app that can bring anyone to fame. While some could say there are bigger things to define this time, just take a step back and look at the last year of peoples’ lives and how they were affected. When people had to stay home for months because of Covid-19, billions of people were scrolling through TikTok, while others were out saving lives and risking their own. In 100 years from now, what do you truly think will be in history books?

Works Cited
Doyle, Brandon. “TikTok Statistics - Everything You Need to Know [Feb 2021 Update].” Wallaroo Media, 6 Feb. 2021, wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/#:~:text=We%20estimate%20that%20it. Accessed 19 Feb. 2021.
Fronstin, Paul, and Stephen A. Woodbury. “How Many Americans Have Lost Jobs with Employer Health Coverage during the Pandemic?” Www.commonwealthfund.org, 7 Oct. 2020, www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/oct/how-many-lost-jobs-employer-coverage-pandemic.
Panchal, Nirmita, et al. “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 21 Apr. 2020, www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/.
Peters, Mitchell. “Charli D’Amelio Hits 100 Million TikTok Followers Milestone: ‘I Love Every One of You!’” Billboard, 22 Nov. 2020, www.billboard.com/articles/news/9488041/charli-damelio-100-million-tiktok-followers#:~:text=Charli%20D. Accessed 19 Feb. 2021.
Shreffler, Jacob, et al. “The Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Worker Wellness: A Scoping Review.” Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, vol. 21, no. 5, 17 Aug. 2020, 10.5811/westjem.2020.7.48684.
Zellner, Xander. “TikTok Star Dixie D’Amelio Makes Billboard Chart Debut on Emerging Artists.” Billboard, 9 July 2020, www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9416044/dixie-damelio-tiktok-billboard-chart-debut. Accessed 19 Feb. 2021.