In the age of streaming series, Spotify releases and more festivals you can shake a stick at – shared cultural moments are (or were) a rare thing. Until the curve ball of a pandemic in 2020 united us once again.

Although this pandemic has destabilised most facets of a normal life, something unique has occurred. Although our worlds have shrunk  - especially in Melbourne  -  we’re using what’s at our disposal to make meaning of this shared-experience. Our chosen tool? Words. Spoonville townships, too.

The similarity of language and shared experience we’re having   is a phenomenal rarity. Words are our key tool in framing this unfamiliar experience.

You’ve heard them, you’ve read them, you have likely used them.

News shows are repeating phrases we hear echo in our corporate all staff emails. Politicians introduce medical terms which become common language, then tweets and memes.

There’s certainly a particular style to the pandemic prose that’s published far and wide.

We saw a clear rise of what linguists are terming ‘Coronaspeak’. We’ll mark this time by a profound shift in something simple. Our words.

We’ve co-built a new language together, in 8 months. I can’t foresee any other incident which would create such vast adoption and comprehension of new words than this. But I’m also an optimist.

‘Our new normal’ became ‘normal for now’ and our goals are set on finding, and maintaining ‘COVID normal’. One reference which excited me greatly was a ‘glorious Covid Normal’. I hope we’ve found that.

Pandemics are no new phenomenon, however a pandemic being played out in a society with Twitter is. Our experiences vastly differ, of course, but the language we’re using is surprisingly universal.

The power of our words during this time has large-scale impact.

To communicate empathy, understanding, and solidarity. We’ve collectively learnt and created new phrases which will forever mark this time.

I recall being envious of the clarity of the NZ Government’s lockdown terms - pining for our own clear Bubbles, Clusters and Chains. Whilst Australians remained wholly confused if they were able to get a haircut or attend a wedding.

But the Victorian Government quickly broke away from the Federal plan and created our own. A language we shared, co-owned and learnt together.

Whilst my inbox filled with the same cliches and few phrases - the positive intent and genuine care can be felt from most.

It’s here - where the words hold meaning, pain, empathy, hope, fear - where we truly are ‘living through history’’.

We’ve swiftly built a shared language through this rare cross-cultural experience.

The frosted pink lining

The impact of the Victorian Lockdown is so strongly felt. This lifestyle has become a new normal.

So well versed in Coronaspeak, we can breeze through a Dan Andrews press conference and understand the numbers, rolling averages, the transmission causes and sources, and impacts to our lifestyle.

The shared understanding and lexicon we spent months learning, developing, writing, saying and defining has given us something we’ve built on together.

Without being cliche, I have felt we, Melbourne, really are in this together.

Melbourne’s first day of zero new cases and zero deaths (since July) meant we saw two big beautiful round zero’s in the DHHS’s daily report. A new shared symbol for hope and celebration created in the form of donuts.

Although this experience has been exhausting, frightening, and warped my sense of freedom and time; I’ve found fascination in observing the waves of language adopted. It’s a unique experience. And a once-or-twice in a lifetime kind of experience.

We are living through an unprecedented experience. The new normal has become a thing we must adjust to until we find our new COVID-normal, for now.

The pandemic has changed the language we use. The memes, donuts, Spoonvilles and Iso-diaries show our penchant for fun and our ability to create silver linings.

The impact of the words we choose to converse, empathise, and document continue to shape and define this rare shared experience. Our words have power – now more than ever. Choose them wisely.

By Bec Thexton