What is digital discomfort?
Leap out of your ‘digital discomfort zone’
During Corona most companies & organisations have had to make an abrupt transition to hosting virtual events due to the necessities of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been a steep learning curve for many.
As a company with more than 20 years’ experience in event organisation, Frog Events and its team of certified online event producers have been one of the major companies that host virtual events accompanying clients through this process for a smooth transition to digital.
Who are the best virtual event companies? Frog Events can help you build up your virtual event from scratch on Hopin, Zoom Events or other platforms, offer training for you and your speakers to make the most of your platform, and manage the broadcast studio for professional quality streaming content.
Leave the tech to us so you can focus on your content and stakeholders, and leap out of your ‘digital discomfort zone’!
What is Digital Discomfort?
Have you ever wondered why you might be stressed?
Pandemic, uncertainty, inflation, war, higher bills – it is no wonder that our minds are preoccupied and making many people nervous about future commitment. Events are no exception!
Stress is not a bad thing - it’s what keeps us alive. Rushes of adrenaline and other hormones are designed to get us out of trouble - fast.
In today’s world, the challenge is when our body goes into a state of stress in inappropriate or unusual situations. When blood flow is going only to the most important muscles needed to fight or flee, brain function is minimised. This can lead to an inability to ‘think straight’. This then becomes a great hindrance in both our work and home lives.
If we are kept in a state of stress for long periods, it can be detrimental to our health. The results of having elevated cortisol levels can be an increase in sugar and blood pressure levels, and a decrease in libido (a great de-stresser).
So going back to the pandemic: 2 years of prolonged stress, uncertainty, lack of clear guidance, illness/covid, lack of social interaction and now Ukraine and the angst, anger, frustration, knock-on effect - equals more stress! Not to mention a permanently negative media!
So what is the result from all this?
The fight: great in the wild, not so great at home or the work environment (clearly exemplified by Will Smith at the Oscars).
Flight: That would be nice, but it is quite simply escapism which can lead to increased stress when we realise the problem is not going away and we need to address it. And during the pandemic we had nowhere to go and our social interaction was severely restricted. So that only leaves one option! Freeze!
Freeze does not tend to get much attention. For some people, becoming stressed sets the stage for ‘dysregulation’. The energy mobilised by the perceived threat gets “locked” into the nervous system and we ‘freeze’ - sometimes called the maladaptive state. Holding our breath, shallow breathing and a big sigh are both forms of freeze and - the body needs more oxygen!
Combine all these factors and it is no wonder that many people are stressed, their ability for decision making is reduced, businesses are uncertain of their future, what should they do next? Etc… and the events industry is no different.
The digital discomfort is felt by all, to varying degrees and should not be ignored. It is absolutely very real. Everybody has it: The BIG difference is accepting of what you cannot control and embrace this new era. There are plenty of people out there to help and, like ‘swallowing your frog’, once you have accepted the situation, facing the ‘enemy’ (fight) and are dealing with it (i.e. not fleeing), you suddenly realise that 1) the world is not about to end and 2) it is not as bigger deal as you thought it was.
Accept what you cannot change
Adapt to what you can
Share your knowledge openly and honestly
Replace fear with excitement
Suddenly you have a new perspective
We all have our areas of expertise, our industries, our sector, years of experience in our sector, our contacts etc… And there is plenty of tech out there - Phones, apps, productivity tools, designs, and yes, online virtual event platforms.
Over the past couple of years, the learning of remote working and online events has propelled the events industry beyond measure. And digital has played a HUGE part in this – boundaries have changed and that has made many of us pretty uncomfortable dealing with adapting to new technology, too many choices, a new way to engage with our own staff, our own audiences etc. And THAT is the zone we help our customers to embrace, reduce and leap into a new era of events.