One of the most memorable scenes of Sex in New York is the one in which an episodic character played by Kirsten Johnson complains about how boring parties in New York have become and seconds later falls out of a window. That feeling of boredom is not exclusive to the American city: many believe that the concept of fun has been redefined, that celebrations full of toasts and strong emotions are a thing of the past. Partying is not fashionable.
The reasons why the living room beats the dance floor? The loneliness epidemic, which the WHO has declared a “global public health problem,” and the way in which confinement erased the increasingly thin line between work and home. The unexpected consequence of the fusion between the work and personal worlds? The triumph of PowerPoint parties, in which each attendee creates a presentation explaining a topic.
From the most bizarre topics found on Subreddit until How would each person die in a zombie apocalypse?, all types of content have a place in these creations that come to spread business culture in free time. That is to say, once again work swallows up leisure time. The newspaper The San Francisco Standardspeaking of this trend, he summed it up with some humor: “The worst part of your job is now a trend at private parties.”
It’s not an office party, it’s the office at a party
Javier Divieso, an expert in leadership, teams and human resources, points out that although these parties may seem like an extension of work because these types of presentations are usually associated with the work and academic world, they are not for those who participate in them. “Due to its recreational purpose, the creative freedom it produces and the social context in which they carry them out, they see it as a recreational activity. Therefore, far from seeing these meetings as an extension of work, for generation Z it is nothing more than a fun and creative way to connect with friends,” he says. “The new generations have been born in digital culture, so these PowerPoint parties are nothing more than a natural extension of it, using platforms and tools that they already master for recreational and social purposes,” he adds.
This type of party was born in 2012, when three students from the University of Waterloo, Canada, organized an event called Drink, Talk & Learn (Drink, Talk and Learn), in which the guests had to appear with a presentation on a topic linked to a video game. The arrival of the pandemic boosted these celebrations due to their digital nature: it allowed each participant, from their home, to share their computer screen to continue the party, even if people could not meet.
“Many people in the San Francisco Bay Area have very technical jobs, work from home and interact with few people throughout the day. Hence the appeal of boring party games, which allow them to share experiences that would otherwise be isolated,” says Zachary Reese, director of Love and Communication Laba center charged with exploring the complexities of interpersonal relationships, to The San Francisco Standard. The outlet points out that, unfortunately, for Microsoft, in reality most of these presentations are not even made with PowerPoint. “Are PPT Parties could be carried out with any other system, software or application. So, it seems to me that this is a mere strategy by Microsoft to get even more juice out of its well-known program. Or, simply, it is a way to give it a twist, opening up ideas and uses for PowerPoint, already very famous worldwide,” he explains to ICON. Sara Mompartgraphic designer.
Despite not having participated in this type of party or having any intention of doing so, he knows of its existence because “having read about it in some forums or designer websites.” And it surprises him, because far from being intuitive, “locating the buttons and menus to apply interesting solutions can become a nightmare.” Regarding what fun aspects the program can have, he indicates that “with good taste and aesthetic skills, the results are incredible. There are many actions to give interactivity and dynamism to a PowerPoint: logo animations, use of 3D modeling, attractive transitions between photos, inserting videos…”, he explains.
For its part, aware of this trend, Microsoft has already offered some guides to organize this type of parties and has also created different templates with which to create presentations. “PowerPoint parties are a wonderful way to connect with friends, family or co-workers,” they say. Seeking “party ideas PowerPoint” throws up topics like “your friends if they were classmates The Office”, “a song to describe everyone in your group of friends”, “things you would do if you were president”, “your most unpopular opinions”, “your favorite famous couples” or “the best coffee shops in your city”. It doesn’t sound bad if it weren’t for the fact that you have to prepare it beforehand.
The home as the scene of leisure
The report Youth, leisure and ICT. A look at the vital structure of youth from the perspectives of free time and technologies points out that the main novelty in leisure activities in recent years is the majority incorporation of leisure mediated by technological tools. Dating applications have ensured that it is not even necessary to leave the house to find a partner, food delivery applications make it possible that it is not even necessary to go out to eat or dine out to enjoy a good banquet, and dating platforms streaming They have made cinema move to the home. 74.6% of those surveyed by the report say that the activity they do most in their free time is chatting or surfing the Internet, compared to 22.7%, who aim to go out at night.
The most relevant thing from a historical point of view is the decrease in night outings, that is, going to bars, pubs or discos. “The panorama of these changes seems to point to a relational leisure that is increasingly mediated by digital technology, and increasingly home-made,” comment Elena Rodríguez San Julián and Juan Carlos Ballesteros Guerra, authors of the report.
Eduardo Vara, author of Damn job, warns that if these parties involve the use of the same digital tools that are used in the office, these gatherings are not the healthiest. “To disconnect and rest, just as important as changing your environment is changing your mental dynamics. For those who work with a computer from home, it would be much more interesting to propose leisure activities in technology-free spaces, preferably natural environments, where they can interact with other people in the most casual and physical way possible,” she says.
There are even social gatherings that are organized as true work workshops, as is the case of a user of who explained on the social network having organized “a very fun party consisting of a workshop” in which to create the Hinge dating app profile for your brother.
Had a VERY fun dinner party/group workshopping of my brother’s Hinge profile.
We debated prompts & responses, photos, & relative strength of matches, using 2 screens – 1 for photos & 1 for the profile.
Big diff bw men’s suggestions (with innuendo) and women’s (anti innuendo). pic.twitter.com/akouLxroin
— Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) April 16, 2024
“If we look at the etymology of the word business, from the Latin nec-otium, which is not leisure, it is evident that we are losing free time. Because, by making it profitable, we deny ourselves authentic spaces of disconnection where we can recover physically and mentally and where we can explore our self beyond our productive side. But, also, keep us in work mode It distorts the spontaneity and openness that we need to build other non-work relationships as important as friendships. So, instead of looking for friends to whom we can let go of our professional impostures and appear vulnerable, we continue to strive to project a competitive image that attracts potential allies or partners,” he says.
There are already users who on social networks have become eminent in the matter, such as McCall Mirabella, with almost a million followers on TikTok, who, far from asking those attending her twenty-first birthday for gifts, preferred that they prepare PowerPoint presentations. Sad? Leadership expert Javier Divieso doesn’t think so. “For new generations, these types of activities provide them with freedom and greater social connection. It also allows them to develop skills such as communication, creativity or critical thinking and encourage innovation and creativity. Although the consequences of not knowing how to disconnect can be negative and lead to burnout and stress. But in general terms, if we are able to find the balance, these types of activities can provide significant benefits,” he assures. Others will always continue to prefer a bar.
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