As the pandemic rages on outside the walls of our home, the internet and it’s collective community have become increasingly creative with entertainment and social gatherings while avoiding physical contact and close proximity events. As someone who lives a large portion of their life online, it is exciting to participate in new ideas and phenomena, such as digital music festivals.

These concerts and shows held via livestream or on gaming platforms are a great way for people to connect with their favorite digital and musical artists during a time of major stress and panic. Even before the pandemic began, festivals held via Minecraft such as “Coalchella” and “Mine Gala” had populated my social media feeds, with servers so full that seeing the actual shows were almost impossible. For those who made it into these servers, the festivals provided a digital setting for like-minded people to experience music in an unprecedented way.

I have been seeing more and more artists announce streams similar to this during this period of mandatory social distancing, as a way to fundraise for artists who are unable to make a sufficient living during this time and connect music lovers around the world. Moving forward with my research, I would like to design something hyper-digital that captures the spirit of the internet as of late, while paying homage to older platforms like Minecraft and grainy, low-resolution streaming on YouTube and Twitch.