The World After Coronavirus

Oh, here's a couple of thoughts - we might see the end of cinemas, and at least some forms of printed media.

Some film studios are already starting to release their films online rather than at the cinema. If they find that that's a viable model, then they may not go back to the old model. And cinemas operate on a razor's edge of profit as it is, so this crisis may see many of them close. If that were to happen, that would exacerbate studios not returning to the cinemas, as fewer cinemas means fewer profits.

WRT print media comic manufacturers, at least, are ceasing production of physical copies and comic shops are either closed or are closing. Most comic shops are independent and likely cannot survive an extended closure. At the same time, if the comic companies learn that they can make just as much (or more) profit by distributing only digital copies, then they're unlikely to return to the old model. Again, this is especially true if the places where they can sell physical copies are more limited, and I imagine that some people who previously wouldn't have considered digital copies might take to them and not want to go back to physical ones. Perhaps a limited run only for collectors, which can be more expensive.

I've not heard anything yet about how papers or magazines are handling this, but physical sales have been declining for years and that will be even more true now. Again, if they find that they can make the same or more profit by having people subscribe to an app, or whatever, then they may abandon print all together.

To be clear, I don't think these things will disappear 100%, but I do think it's possible they may become far less prevalent.
 
The future of "The Movie Theater" is one of those things that's been on my mind the last few years.

The whole concept is obviously on the downside. In these days of 55 inch 4k TVs being available for under 500 bucks the appeal of spending close to 100 bucks for a family of 4 to go movie theater and get stuck behind someone texting their entire time has certainly lost a lot of its appeal.

I don't think the "Go the the movies" thing will ever totally go away, but I can imagine a not to distant future where stand alone dedicated movie theaters were every major movie gets a run are a thing of the past and "Going to the movies" is reserved for only big event films in a more of a hybrid "Theater / dinner party" atmosphere.
 
JoeMorgue said:
I don't think the "Go the the movies" thing will ever totally go away, but I can imagine a not to distant future where stand alone dedicated movie theaters were every major movie gets a run are a thing of the past and "Going to the movies" is reserved for only big event films in a more of a hybrid "Theater / dinner party" atmosphere.
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Maybe it will persist because of dates. A cinema is a neutral venue where parties can meet without flatmates or housemates (or children) around.
 
Squeegee Beckenheim said:
Oh, here's a couple of thoughts - we might see the end of cinemas, and at least some forms of printed media.

Some film studios are already starting to release their films online rather than at the cinema. If they find that that's a viable model, then they may not go back to the old model. And cinemas operate on a razor's edge of profit as it is, so this crisis may see many of them close. If that were to happen, that would exacerbate studios not returning to the cinemas, as fewer cinemas means fewer profits.

WRT print media comic manufacturers, at least, are ceasing production of physical copies and comic shops are either closed or are closing. Most comic shops are independent and likely cannot survive an extended closure. At the same time, if the comic companies learn that they can make just as much (or more) profit by distributing only digital copies, then they're unlikely to return to the old model. Again, this is especially true if the places where they can sell physical copies are more limited, and I imagine that some people who previously wouldn't have considered digital copies might take to them and not want to go back to physical ones. Perhaps a limited run only for collectors, which can be more expensive.

I've not heard anything yet about how papers or magazines are handling this, but physical sales have been declining for years and that will be even more true now. Again, if they find that they can make the same or more profit by having people subscribe to an app, or whatever, then they may abandon print all together.

To be clear, I don't think these things will disappear 100%, but I do think it's possible they may become far less prevalent.
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Hmmm, I didn't think about the comic shops -- haven't been to one in a while. If there is one major reservoir for passing on viruses, that's it. (Assuming the virus survives for some time on glossy paper.) Considering the amount of people that will pick up and page through the same issue, the chances are very high of contagion.

I was very happy to find the Comixology subscription for my Kindle Fire 10. A few years ago when I got my first Kindle I tried reading a few comics but the framing was poor and I wasn't able to select or enlarge panels. Now all that is configured much better and is a very pleasurable experience. Of course, I only get to read the books provided by the service (of which there are many I enjoy) for a flat monthly subscription rate. Individual issues are still far too costly without getting the actual print book.
 
The Don said:
Maybe it will persist because of dates. A cinema is a neutral venue where parties can meet without flatmates or housemates (or children) around.
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... in the dark.


So in a decade or so we're all going to be watching mostly Chinese movies on mostly Chinese TVs, listening mostly to Chinese pop and eating mostly ...
 
alfaniner said:
Hmmm, I didn't think about the comic shops -- haven't been to one in a while. If there is one major reservoir for passing on viruses, that's it. (Assuming the virus survives for some time on glossy paper.) Considering the amount of people that will pick up and page through the same issue, the chances are very high of contagion.
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The comic industry is a whole mess of baggage to untangle and dedicated comic book shops are one of the key reasons print comics struggle to sell to anyone who hasn't already been reading them their entire life.
 
Squeegee Beckenheim said:
It's definitely moving a little towards that now, and it's not really a new idea, but one that's coming back around. It used to be very common to do a big weekly shop, and to have a big supply of things just sitting around in your cupboards (or larders, if you're posh). These days it's more common to just go out and buy what you need when you need it, but the current advice is to go shopping once a week and buy what you need for the entire week.

It's not quite what you're talking about, but it's not a million miles away, either.
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When someone told my brother that he needed to make sure they had 2 months of food at home his response was "Easy, but what should we do with the rest?" His wife is notorious for having at least two months of food, if not more, just because she likes shopping for food and cooking form scratch.

Our pantry is tiny, so we have much less. But we are building a house that will have much more capability for being prepared.

It is something I grew up with because we lived in a hurricane prone area. Everyone had enough non-perishable supplies for at least two weeks just as basic home keeping. And every freezer had a substantial amount of bottled water in it to keep the rest of the stuff cold when the power went out, and every house had at least one bathroom with a bathtub so you could fill the tub with enough water to let you flush the toilet for at least a week. And everyone had a grill and most had a smoker of some sort, so when the power went out the good meats came out of the freezer first. Nothing like venison backstrap wrapped in bacon to make you forget that it is 80 degrees at 10pm and you won't be getting a shower for a few days. Ooh, the Davis's brought over quail!

That is one downside to this as compared to other similar events. No way to get together with the neighbors and share a drink.
 
That's another thing that's slowly been going away for a while that's likely to go away quicker because of this - physical money. In the UK and Ireland, at least, people are being encouraged to use their cards, and contactless payment limits are being raised substantially.

Since there are already shops that no longer accept physical cash, I see this accelerating the trend.
 
I would like to see more countries at least make a move to polymer bills, which are easier to clean and decontaminate.

Oh and get rid of the penny. Not because of any of this but because it's 2020 and it's embarrassing that we still have them.
 
Squeegee Beckenheim said:
That's another thing that's slowly been going away for a while that's likely to go away quicker because of this - physical money. In the UK and Ireland, at least, people are being encouraged to use their cards, and contactless payment limits are being raised substantially.
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I really, really doubt this. The level of cash I've seen used hasn't altered at all.
And the contactless limit is still €30/Stg£30 until April at least (when it increases to €50/Stg£45). I do not see it going higher than that at all.
 
JoeMorgue said:
I would like to see more countries at least make a move to polymer bills, which are easier to clean and decontaminate.

Oh and get rid of the penny. Not because of any of this but because it's 2020 and it's embarrassing that we still have them.
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Agreed. The Eurozone is heading that way, and effectively demonitising the 1 and 2 cent coins.

Personally I'd scrap the lot and institute a 1/3/10/30/100 denomination system.
 
Matthew Best said:
People still use cash? Why?
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When you're really broke a problem can be that if you're paid into your bank account the bank takes the money in charges/against standing orders etc before you can take it out. If the bank and other creditors paid through it aren't your biggest concern then having the cash lets you make your own choices. Pls avoiding tax, small or private sellers, the surety of knowing that something hasn't come out of your account you weren't planning for and your card won't get rejected (especially awkward if it's something like fuel that you can't put back).
 
P.J. Denyer said:
When you're really broke a problem can be that if you're paid into your bank account the bank takes the money in charges/against standing orders etc before you can take it out. If the bank and other creditors paid through it aren't your biggest concern then having the cash lets you make your own choices. Pls avoiding tax, small or private sellers, the surety of knowing that something hasn't come out of your account you weren't planning for and your card won't get rejected (especially awkward if it's something like fuel that you can't put back).
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This. A 20 dollar bill isn't going to disappear the day before payday when you need to buy gas or pick up a prescription because you forget about something coming out.

The last 20 in your bank account can.

Even now when I'm in pretty decent financial shape every payday I take enough cash out to buy me gas to get to work until my next paycheck, I habit I got into during my rough times.
 
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I wonder about permanent changes we'll be able to see, that the previous version will look very odd or archaic in a few years. Like when you see a movie where people are smoking on an airplane, or using a land-line phone. I'm hoping the handshake goes that way.
 
catsmate said:
I really, really doubt this. The level of cash I've seen used hasn't altered at all.
And the contactless limit is still €30/Stg£30 until April at least (when it increases to €50/Stg£45). I do not see it going higher than that at all.
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I've seen places requesting card-only. I've been completely cashless since the beginning of the year. It kind of further disadvantages the already-disadvantaged, though.
 
alfaniner said:
I'm hoping the handshake goes that way.
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Yep, I'd vote for that.

One other thing occurred to me today as I noticed the astonishing sight of flour sold out. Given how little home cooking people do, I wondered if maybe they'd get into the habit of doing so and not eat McDonalds 200 times a year.
 
That's another thought I had - it won't go away because you can't cure stupid, but I'll be prepared to bet that the anti-vaxxer movement takes a hit from this after people can see first-hand what it is that vaccines actually do and what a lack of one can do to their loved ones.
 
arthwollipot said:
I've seen places requesting card-only. I've been completely cashless since the beginning of the year. It kind of further disadvantages the already-disadvantaged, though.
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Yes, this is exactly it. Society is already moving away from cash, and has been for some time. As I say, there are already shops that don't accept cash any more, cash machines are slowly but surely disappearing, 10% of people already no longer use cash, and a study has shown that big retailers could save £6m a month by eliminating cash. This current crisis is seeing shops and the government discourage the use of cash and encourage the use of contactless (because cash is a good transmission vector and contactless, as the name implies, doesn't require physical contact). That trend may continue - especially if experts are right and we're going to learn to manage coronavirus like we do the flu, rather than eliminate it - and it may accelerate. Which isn't to say that we're going to see it disappear entirely - at least not for several years to come - but I think the rate at which it's being phased out will speed up.

As you say, this will be a bad thing for some of the more vulnerable, but since when has society ever been set up for the benefit of the more vulnerable? It's certainly not like governments are likely to institute laws requiring shops to take cash.
 
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