Animal Crossing’s popularity at the start of lockdown was no surprise. As people struggled to interact with others, having a peaceful game that involved becoming friends with your neighbors and meeting new people helped to make the quarantine a little less difficult. The parasocial interactions the game provided were comforting.

Activism has many tactics that can be effective, but I’d argue that one of the most important tools for movements is the media. Politicians ignored the 504 protests when it was only on San Francisco news stations, but once it went national, they had to cave to the pressure. I think the primary reason that Crip Camp begins it’s documentary with footage of the camp is for the opportunity for parasocial interaction to occur between the viewers and the campers. Part of why good representation for minorities of any kind is important is that people partially form their opinions of these groups through parasocial interaction in the media they consume. The campers are humanized in the documentary, and treated with respect, and so those who don’t know many disabled people may have their opinions of them changed while watching. 

Back to lockdown, I think that now more than ever, good representation in the media is vital to activist movements. Without the opportunity to socialize as we once did, there are less chances for people even in diverse areas to meet and learn about people who are different from them. Stereotypes are sometimes dismissed as harmless jokes, but even if people know that they don’t reflect reality, interacting with them enough will subconsciously color one’s perception, or at the very least create negative associations. Defining “good” representation is difficult, and is likely something that should be determined by those involved with movements that would be invested in the positive representation of their group.