COIVID-19 pushes J'cans to pages and screens

An online survey conducted on March 8, 2021, among 80 Jamaicans from varying backgrounds by Pages and Screens, revealed that most individuals were spending more time than usual reading and watching since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pie chart showing that the majority of respondents from the Pages and Screens survey disclosed that they have been watching more since the beginning of the COVID- 19 pandemic.

The survey was conducted from March 8-10 among 80 Jamaican individuals from ages 18-65 years old and sought to find out whether or not individuals were reading or watching television, TV shows, films, or YouTube more since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey discovered that 54.1% of the respondents were reading more while 78.1% were watching more. Most respondents shared that unlike before, they have now been reading 1-2 hours daily and spending up to up to 4-6 hours daily watching tv shows, films or YouTube videos since the COVID- 19 Pandemic.

Danielle Fyne.

Gabrielle Henriquez, a 21 year-old Jamaican resident who took part in the Pages and Screens online survey took a moment to enjoy watching a video on March 8, 2021, in St.Andrew, Jamaica.

Gabrielle Henriquez a twenty-one-year-old, customer care representative from Kingston, Jamaica, who participated in the Pages and Screens survey, said that while she has been reading more since the pandemic, her watching has definitely increased a lot more. “I have been watching more TV shows and movies since COVID; I even just got Netflix,” says Ms. Henriquez.

Even though significantly less compared to the number of individuals that admitted to watching more, the survey did show that most individuals were reading more than they used to before the pandemic. Daniel Fyne a 64 year-old mason from, St. Andrew who took part in the survey, explains that both his reading and watching have increased but more so his reading. Mr. Fyne expressed that he has been spending much more time reading his Bible and reading news articles, now that he has been staying at home more due to COVID- 19 restrictions.

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/search?q=daniel%20fyne

Daniel Fyne, a 64-year-old Jamaican Mason who also took part in the Pages and Screens survey, explains how he has been reading more since the Covid-19 pandemic on March 11, 2021, at his home in St. Andrew.

The survey also found that individuals who were spending more time alone or at home were most likely to start reading and watching more. Most individuals expressed that they have been spending more time at home while others said they have been spending more time alone. Individuals staying at home more is not specific to Jamaica but is a global phenomenon. An article written by Vox EU about the behaviors of couples from the UK and US entitled “Loneliness, happiness, and love in times of Covid-19” stated that “Continued closings or partial shutdowns of restaurants, hotels, theatres, museums, and sports arenas have altered the locations of people’s leisure activities. We are spending more time at home, whether working or not.”

Charts showing a list of reasons that participants of the Pages and Screens survey gave for why they have been watching and reading more since the COVID- 19 pandemic.

The COVID- 19 pandemic has definitely affected the lives of individuals in many big ways such as creating changes in the economy, health sector, work places and even the academic lives of individuals. However, many may not have taken notice, but it is clear from the Pages and Screens survey that smaller less noticeable aspects of lifestyle, like the reading and watching habits of individuals, are also being affected.