The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly impacted our lives, for better or for worse. Along with the challenges of distance learning, students had to learn to grapple with an entirely digital world whether for socializing, entertainment, or survival. 

When we heard about the COVID-19 virus, a lot of us dismissed the effect it would have on us. The fact that COVID-19 wasn’t even in the United States at the time helped comfort us and confirm such beliefs. I don’t think any of us were fully prepared for how badly it hit us, physically and mentally. Quarantine had its own effect on our mental health and working from home affected each of us differently, but impacted all of us nonetheless. From struggling to create a separate work-home balance to battling a full-on addiction, the increase in our usage of computers, laptops, phones, and other devices impacted us, in some ways more negatively than others.

With the increase in time spent at home due to the pandemic, many of our daily lives became either disrupted or stagnant. Thus, some of us turned to our devices to keep us company when people could not. Whether it was for checking on the news, working, or keeping in touch with family and friends, our devices became even more integrated into our lives. And while this was somewhat justified, it does not diminish our devices’ and technology’s adverse effects. In our Through a Different Lens section, “Tech in Our Lives”, the BIM Bulletin staff as well as guest contributor Rodrigo G. wrote articles in response to the role of technology (defined by each of them) in their day-to-day lives and whether or not the pandemic was a factor in this change.  We reflect upon the changes our lives went through and the lessons we were forced to learn from the increased use of technology in the course of a mere couple of years.