BYU students are dealing with the COVID-19 quarantine by turning to humor, including social media and memes.
Daniel Spencer, a communications studies major and member of the Provo's Most Eligible cast, owns a TikTok account (@dankassdaniel) with 1.2 million followers and an Instagram account (@provohoelife) with 40 thousand followers.
“I like to put humor in my social media accounts through weirdness. It could be about spring break, COVID-19, General Conference and other topics,” Spencer said.
Spencer, who is living with his brother's family, said that he misses interacting with people but that he has found new hobbies.
“Doing things that you like helps, like making funny videos. You can’t run, but you can do puzzles, paint and other ideas to develop new skills. I’ve been painting — creating hairstyles for upcoming videos,” Spencer said.
Lauren Hunter, also from the Provo's Most Eligible cast, said humor can be vital for being less depressed during the quarantine.
'Humor is really helpful, it makes me unified with everyone. These days are really dark, but as we combat fear with unity, it will be making it less depressing,' Hunter said.
Hunter also said humor has also played an important role for her personal well-being during COVID-19. 'It gives hope. It makes you feel more uplifted and better. It improves when people struggle with any mental sickness, as well.'
Johnny Blood, an economics student from California, expressed his experience in social media.
“I’d say that humor through social media definitely helps! I think Hank Smith is especially hilarious,” Blood said.
Blood also said he sees the quarantine as an opportunity to focus on things that matter.
“I keep positive by taking advantage of this time to connect more with my wife,” he said. “I hope others also can enjoy this increased time with their families and roommates.”
Courtney Baggaley, an elementary education student from Utah said it has been difficult for her to stay positive while quarantined.
“I do love the COVID-19 memes, but what has helped me most is staying away from my phone and talking about other things,” Baggaley said. “I just got so sick of nothing else going on, but it helps me to just get away from all of the COVID-19 talk.”
Daniel Bastian, an exercise science major from Washington, agrees that humor helps a lot. He also sees the quarantine as an opportunity to try new things.
“I do love memes and humor through social media. Some of the memes are hilarious,” Bastian said. “We (him and his wife) also like to exercise and then just sit down and start classes.”