VeRy is a talk show that features people who use the digital world to embrace themselves, cope with the real-life situation, voice up for social justice, and build up a supportive online community.
During the pandemic, I suffered from loneliness and anxiety. Suddenly being targeted by the government and lost my job, worried about being deported, scared by the virus, culture-shocked by how differently the authorities dealt with the problem, sent off majority of my friends in the U.S., unable to buy tickets back home, and living alone while family and closed ones are across the globe…I felt trapped for most of the time in 2020. To cope with the situation, I started to look out for support in the virtual world. Playing Animal Crossing and PUBG with friends, sharing my worries with an anonymous online community, texting with an AI chatbot…I survived the past several months for the digital activities and deep conversation conducted in the virtual world. I must not be the only one who felt this way. And maybe many other people are still struggling to find their way out.
That’s why I want to do this virtual talk show, to build a platform for people to share their stories and to share these conversations to help other people who are facing the same problem.