Our audience is mainly aimed at identifying as Millennial or Generation Z affected by the COVID 19 pandemic. Millennials are born in 1981 to 1996. They are characterized as educated and tech-savvy individuals. Similarly, Generation Z are those who are from 1996 to 2012 ("Who Is Gen Z And How Will They Impact The Workplace", 2019). They are characterized as self-aware and interconnected through technology. The pandemic greatly affected generation Z as numerous people were unemployed as the world's economy is in recession.  

 

Despite being the least susceptible, this generation was most affected as there was significant damage in their personal and professional growth (BIALIK & Fry, 2020) 

. There have been numerous reports that are Generation Z and Millennial’s mental health has declined rapidly. Anxiety and depression symptoms have increased dramatically since the start of the pandemic.  It has also been noted that younger generations have said that there is a feeling of isolation and being less connected with others.

 

Our main character would fit the description of either a generation Z or a Millennial.  The group chose this age group because we can relate to the character. Overall, we aim to show the effects of isolation on individuals.  Similarly, we want to highlight the effects of being in a micro-community of being connected to others through social media and still feeling alone and disconnected.                                                      

This feeling can manifest over a long period of time often a consequence of poor mental health (LifeLine Australia, n.d.).

Research has shown that isolation has numerous effects on one’s mental health associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety and stress. Depressive and anxiety symptoms can result from panic attacks, insomnia, and irritability. The symptoms stem from the adversity of COVID 19 and the impacts such as boredom, loneliness, and financial concerns. There is a strong correlation between the long time those who have spent in quarantined have poor mental health. 

Frontline workers who have witnessed those who have been affected by COVID 19 have reported mental health disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety. These disorders are often associated with the feeling of isolation, extreme sadness and stress, and loneliness. Health care workers are more subjective to experiencing grief causing emotional distress. Furthermore, working in hazardous conditions there is a sense of apprehension of the vagueness with COVID19 and its effects (Usher, Bhullar & Jackson, 2020).

A study in China highlights that there is an occurrence of mental health symptoms amongst health care workers. There seemed to have more women who showed symptoms of anxiety, anguish, and depression. It has been recorded and noted that their major concerns for those who are in the medical profession and mental disorders since the COVID 19 began. (Lai et al., 2020)

Loneliness frequently occurs in older people, but with the pandemic, the feeling of loneliness has increased, consequently, in higher suicidal rates. It has been noted that loneliness has deconstructed social integration empathizing anxiety towards COV19. Loneliness a significant indicator of poor mental health (Banerjee & Rai, 2020)

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