A climate of profound anxiety and confusion is emerging at this moment in history. We will surely recover, but two questions must be asked: How will we recover? What effects will this have on society?
The liquidity of social relations
What's frightening, however, beyond the disease itself, of course, is the pervasiveness of uncertainty that will dominate everyone's lives from now on. This isn't to say that this condition wasn't experienced before the coronavirus, but it's definitely more pronounced now due to the effects this pandemic is having on people's lives. First, there's been a shift in social relationships . We're seeing greater fluidity in relationships, partly due to the limited situation. So, the numerous Skype video calls, Meet and Zoom conferences preclude the kind of dialogue that would certainly have been different if we were out in the city center or attending a university lecture. It's as if we're witnessing a breakdown in interpersonal communication ; anyone can leave a conversation or decline an online video call. However, face-to-face communication is a different story. Lying is impossible here; gestures and nonverbal behavior don't allow it.
A society in constant change
In addition to this state of uncertainty, great changes and transformations are about to occur in society. This was also the case in the time of Émile Durkheim, a 1800th-century French sociologist, whose era was characterized by major transformations that would later lead to the Industrial Revolution. Sudden changes such as economic crises, political upheavals, and so on can result in an increase in the number of suicides. In a static society, according to Durkheim—one not subject to upheaval—its individuals have limited aspirations and know how far they can go to achieve their goals. However, in a society in constant flux, individuals are no longer able to set limits for themselves , and therefore, when they realize that what they seek to achieve is impossible, they may take the ultimate step. It's worth noting that the situation is different if it's a war versus an economic or social crisis. In the former case, social integration increases among members of a society that unites against an external threat, while in the latter, an economic crisis shakes the foundations of the entire society, leading to an increase in suicides.
Destination abroad: the continuing exodus of Italians
Another aspect that emerges is the total restlessness prevailing among young Italians and others, those who have recently graduated and are eager to enter the job market but unfortunately find themselves barred from this opportunity, or those who, perhaps in their first work experiences, find themselves unemployed because they work in a sector deemed "difficult." According to data from the Migrantes Foundation: "The emerging situation, with rising unemployment and companies in serious difficulty, predicts a further increase in migrants to other European destinations in the coming years, starting in 2021. Indeed, although the entire eurozone will be affected by the post-COVID situation, Italy is undoubtedly the country that will suffer the worst, partly due to, or fortunately, stringent measures that have literally paralyzed the country's productive system." Mass migration was present even before the pandemic, according to the Migrantes Foundation: "Over the last 13 years, from 2006 to 2019, the number of those leaving Italy increased by 70,2 percent, and those registered with AIRE, the registry of Italians residing abroad, went from just over 3,1 million to nearly 5,3 million (a figure that does not include people who go abroad without changing their residence), not to mention that almost half of them (48,9 percent) left from the South. Those who opt to relocate choose the United Kingdom as their preferred destination, although now, with Brexit officially announced, the measures will be even more stringent for those who decide to move. A detail not to be underestimated is the continuous increase in the number of those registered by birth , confirming the fact that many Italians who move abroad find favorable conditions for starting a family in the country to which they emigrate ."
The blasé individual in the post-coronavirus
Within this post-pandemic framework, both because we are forced to maintain social distancing and because online communication has become the only form of communication in the last two months, we can say we are faced with a new category of individual: the blasé. This blasé attitude was the basis of the studies of Georg Simmel, who in his book The Metropolis and the Life of the Spirit depicted this figure as an individual who, immersed in a stimulating context—the metropolis—becomes skeptical , lacking in stimulation , and consequently withdraws into his own individuality. This attitude can be translated into the current situation. Some argue that after this pandemic, we will return to being more integrated as members of society, while others, perhaps authoritative and more rational, believe there will be much greater individuality and skepticism in the human soul. This is due both to the severe economic crisis that will loom in the short term and to the fact that those who were already poor will find themselves even more deprived later, while those who were rich will become even richer. This creates a situation in which individuals, lacking the same resources to access opportunities as everyone else, prefer to choose other paths, and thus the path of social deviance.
The post-coronavirus landscape is nuanced and difficult to outline in a few lines, but what is clear is that every change that occurs in society will completely alter the lives of its members. For example, the previous outlook on even the small things in life will change. As a contemporary, 21st-century society, and one that is highly dynamic, we should expect frequent changes, with the hope that the consequences will improve the previous situation.
Sofia Rizzon
