Dear World,

There is no substitute for physical presence and staying in touch is not touching.

︎

When I was about 15, the internet became accessible at every house in Russia. I remember meeting a bunch of cool people in a “chat” on my favourite band’s web page. We would type words to each other in a black square window. No one was registered under a real name.

After a month of “talking” we decided to meet all together, have a beer and listen to our favourite music in real life. What a meeting it was. People from small black window suddenly had voices, shapes, smell, clothes. Smileys turned into smiles. Music was a passion that we shared, but what got us all closer to each other was the Internet. It was all brand new by the time.

I’m turning 37 next week and in current situation the internet seems to be the only way of communication with the most people that I know. From a small black window it grew to video calls and messengers of all colours and shapes. No one is using nicknames anymore. And as for the past two months, no one is meeting offline. It is no longer an exiting new way of communication, we must admit that this is our new normal for right now. And strangely it’s becoming more normal than physical contact.

There is no substitute for physical presence and staying in touch is not touching. I’m wondering what will be the new normal for intimacy or attachment. How will technology deal with it and will we adapt? Will that eventually matter in what part of the world is your loved one?

I have been talking with someone online since the lockdown started and with time our conversations grew more intimate and I felt like I have developed an attachment to that person. Am I already adapting to the new normal? And how much closer can we get to each other in this awkward circumstances?  


Sincerely,

Closer

About the photographer: Anastasia Ivanova is photographer and filmmaker based in Moscow.