Human Interaction Model Emerging Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

People around the world have changed their habits at work, at home, and in places of worship to reduce the risk of contracting the new coronavirus and to prevent it from spreading further. It is strongly advised to avoid shaking hands, kissing on the cheek, and hugging. Instead, try a direct gaze or a hand gesture. From the perspective of social change, this qualitative study investigates the changing nature of human interactions from the touch to the un-touch model. Changes in the way humans interact as a result of COVID-19 are a new phenomenon in human life; dramatic changes such as how to greet someone, shake hands, and hug have changed with the excuse of reducing COVID-19 transmission spread. According to sociolinguistics, greeting others is a routine associated with politeness in social interactions. This, however, is not the end of social interaction, and this article addresses the question of what and how new models of social interaction are emerging. According to the author, human interactions in most countries will shift from the old to the new model as a side effect of the covid-19 without losing their significance.