The Tools To Get You Through 2020

Jun 24

In these desperate, confusing times we’ve all spent more time online than ever before. Let’s document the online sanctuaries that have kept us entertained, informed and connected to the things that matter.

Only 6 months in and 2020 has already thrown huge chunks at the wall.

And as lockdown measures are set to ebb and flow, the online worlds that we occupy become a sanctuary and a cage, often at the same time.

A smart move is to spend time away from Amazon, Facebook, YouTube et al. In these advertising playgrounds, you are the pinball in an arcade of bright lights, magnetic edges and violent flippers. It seems fun, but you are not in control and you are not going to win.

So, to find out where it’s good to hang out in 2020, I asked the people I work with — who all happen to be impossibly cool and charming — to share with me the apps and web tools that are getting them through the lockdown.

Hopefully, you may like them too.

TikTok

I appreciate TikTok is one of the big winners of the pandemic, bypassing an extraordinary two billion downloads in April, but a large proportion of its users are (ahem) “young people”, and remains novel terrain for many of us.

Naturally, social media manager, Maria Lima, is killing it with her unique take on mental health, sci-fi cosplay and classic US sitcoms. Check out her genius.

Ways You Can Help

“This essential website was made by a 17 year old called Nico who’s still in school”, says Product Manager, Dan Parry.

It’s an incredible mix of information and inspiration all with the simple aim of helping you support the Black Lives Matter movement through petitions, donations and protest assemblage.

If you snap, ‘gram or tweet anything today, make it Ways You Can Help.

Neal.Fun

Neal.Fun has created a series of websites for people with too much time on their hands.

My personal favourite is The Deep Sea. Which is basically a deep dive to the bottom of the ocean looking at the marine life on the way.

After 20 mins there, head to The Size of Space.

You can thank me later.

Icebreaker

Zoom is clunky and its UI/UX is miserable. It’s rise to video conferencing tool du jour is a mystery. But rather than moan about it, let’s welcome new video tools into our lives with wide-open arms.

That’s what CEO Nana Parry is doing with Icebreaker.

“It’s the introvert’s video tool.”

And that’s all he said on the matter.

Board Game Arena

Do you miss playing board games? Is that because you haven’t got the physical games or because you don’t have anyone to play with?

Either way, Board Game Arena has got your back.

It’s free, there is literally every board game imaginable and there are millions of people to play against.

Discord

It’s a curious name for a social media platform given the definition of discord:

noun
Disagreement between people
[music] Lack of harmony between notes sounding together.

“Like any public platform, there are trolls, but Discord is all about building communities of people interested in niche hobbies and esoteric subcultures”, says Product Validation Lead Joshua McGovern.

And although you can connect with people using contemporary tools like video and sound clip messaging, Discord harks back to cult platforms like MySpace and the good old days of the internet.

Moonsift

Has anyone else made embarrassing or impractical purchases during the lockdown? I bought a fleece-lined denim jacket in March even though I knew I wasn’t allowed out of the house and now it's 25c and I will never wear it.

Moonsift is a nifty tool to make online shopping less impulsive and dopamine-driven. The app clips onto your browser and manages your online shopping wishlists.

Sales Lead, Peter Macdonald, says:

“Moonsift helps the consumer and the producer: a very good product indeed”.

Notion

“Staying productive during lockdown is the key to a happy lockdown”, says US-based Project Manager Olivia.

And Notion is where productivity is at.

If you think, like me, that you’re fairly well-organised thanks to an overreliance on Apple Notes and a smorgasbord of unintegrated apps then maybe it’s time for an upgrade, especially now Notion has released a free version for personal use.

I’m not going to lie, it’s intimidating at first, but I know it’s going to be worth it.