Delaying The Posting During The Pandemic

Apart of the request from Wda to do delayed posting on the Kalimantan trip, there was another reason why I decided to do late post. During the pandemic, I noticedd that people tend to be more reactive when they see other people posting life updates in social media feeds and stories (the kind of socmed updates that disappear after 24 hour). 

I was quite active in the older version of social media (FB, Twitter and IG) and I was so used to share recommendation on foods, drinks, movies and travel destinations. Sometimes I posted in real-time, other times I posted a few hours after leaving the place. It has been nice to interact with friends who happened to be in the vicinity and decided to join me in the place. But since 2020 I decided to slow my pace and posted whenever I feel comfortable because I received a lot of critics for being out and about.

For example, in early pandemic era in 2020 I went to a cafe in Bekasi and posted a photo of a cup of coffee on a cafe table. Within minutes, a friend commented, "How come you do dine-in? Isn't there any lockdown?" I told her that at that time Bekasi had yet to have any policy on lockdown. We in Bekasi did get lockdown afterwards.

Another example was when I had to go to East Sumba for an assignment. A friend reprimanded me for taking the job, saying that I should stay at home and just live with my savings until the pandemic is over.

I understood that they were worried, but I also sensed their envy and anger on seeing other people not following the regulation or not being in isolation and misery. It seems the pandemic has stolen not only the freedom of travel, but also the sense of humor and the fun out of the people. 

I used to be like these friends. However, as the pandemic kept going I realized that not everyone could stay at home. There are bills to pay, mouths to feed and mental issue to deal with. Each of us has different economic situation. We don't know how long this pandemic will drag on, and we definitely can't rely on other people to help us all the time. I would hate myself if I ever become the helpless person.

As a freelancer, I could very well work and stay at home, even if there is no pandemic. I could also do online shopping from the comfort of my bedroom. But I still need to meet people, even if they are just staffs at the bank/convenience stores. So I decided to go out. Going out has worked wonders on my health, physically and psychologically.

Due to the rising netizen hostility (LOL) during the pandemic, I decide on two things: (1) For FB, Twitter and IG, I will do delayed posting (or probably no posting at all), and (2) I will go back to Blogger to post my daily activities, because this is the platform with the least number of followers who know me in real life. Also, my followers here have been kind and open-minded.

PS. When I do go out, I apply strict safety measures. I wear mask, and sometimes even wear double mask. I look for places that are not fully occupied by customers. I choose places that have open air circulation, or semi-outdoor, or if those are not applicable, I would just wear my mask on most of the time. I bring my own helmet for motorcycle-taxi ride. And when I come home, I go straight to toilet to clean up. I have to be responsible because there are two septuagenarians who rely on me.

PS 2. In February - March 2022, the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose again, from hundreds to thousands, due to the Omicron variant. This was another reason to delay posting on travel stories.