We were all there, March 2020, when the world as we knew it was completely transformed. Masks, illness, social distancing and stay-at-home orders were rushed out across the world. Although this was a terrifying time of uncertainty, many now look back at this as a time when the world slowed for a while. 

“I remember taking walks with my family almost every day,” said Mackenzie Teller, a junior marketing major at NIU. “It was really nice to get out and just talk. Lockdown just felt like a time where we could reconnect from such busy lives.”

Rachel Kelley, a health science intended MLS (medical laboratory science) major at NIU said that for fun she visited local forest preserves during lockdown.  

“I had a really good time during lockdown visiting local forest preserves and I went to some new ones within an hour drive from here,”  Kelley said. “It was really fun, the trails are beautiful, there are some that allow horses on them so you get to walk next to the horse riders.”

Many social media trends became widely popular during this time as well. Whipped coffee and cloud bread were popular treats. Netflix series such as “Tiger King” and “Outer Banks” became more popular than ever. Apps like TikTok and Among Us were widely downloaded to keep boredom away. 

“I got really into watching TikTok during lockdown, as many other people did, my mom made whipped coffee which was really popular and that was actually really good,” said David Mitchell, a business major at NIU. “Outer Banks came out during lockdown and I was at my girlfriend’s house and I stayed up all night watching the first season of it and then rewatched it with her the next day because it was really good.”

TikTok has become wildly popular as an outlet for creators and an entertainment source for viewers and it is one of the only trends that sparked in spring of 2020 that is still widely used. Although “Tiger King” and “Outer Banks” were highly watched, there are so many streaming services, TV shows and movies available that many popular series come and go fairly quickly. 

“I didn’t participate in many of the trends, but I did watch a lot of TikTok during lockdown and I still do,” said Alexana Ibarra, a junior child development major.

Overall, everyone’s lockdown experience was a little different, but it is fun to reminisce on memories and trends made during this time.