Culture After Covid: Zero Out
Edge Definition
From always-on to the “Time of Off,” welcome to a reflective new era. Sleep is the new Adderall. Headspace, our Lululemon. We’ve overstimulated to the point of detachment, and now we’re collectively hitting the pause button to reconnect to ourselves. Nothingness is a new ideology we’re embracing—from zero waste to silence at work to “JOMO,” and we’re creating new language to sell the benefits of zero. Businesses can help us “zero out” by creating physical and mental space in our overstuffed lives. Absence is the antidote.
What will Zero Out look like post-pandemic?
The pre-COVID pace of life burned us out.
Overstimulated and overscheduled, we turned to self-care and meditation apps as a quick fix to a much larger problem. But the momentum of modern life only seemed to accelerate.
Then the pandemic pressed the pause button for us. For the first time, we were asked to stay home, cancel plans, and put our health first. Quarantine allowed us the time and space to recognize that the small things—access to nature, slow hobbies, moments of silence—are actually the big things.
Looking forward, we’ll Zero Out in order to build back better. As we put our quarantine realizations into action, we’ll take steps toward a brighter future where well-being is prized above relentless ambition. Where communities are built with a focus on fresh air rather than commerce. And where our lives are reimagined with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
We’re not just putting a Band-Aid on a broken system. We’re resetting entirely.
“There are multiple health benefits to pausing. Creative studies show that it actually leads to new ideas, better decisions and better focus. The pandemic has allowed us to create that pause.”
What if…
01\ Businesses set goals based on reduction? Think less waste, less noise, less pollution.
02\ The quietest, simplest product on the shelf stood out the most?
03\ Cities created “idle zones” that prompted passersby to take a pause?
04\ The post-pandemic office promoted R&R? Investing in employee well-being and employee productivity equally.
05\ “Recycled and renewed” was touted over “new and improved”?
06\ Devices tracked our downtime instead of our activity? Prompting us to fit relaxation into our routine.
07\ Brands rewarded us for buying less? Turning consumer culture on its head.