Last normal photograph: Twitter users share images of pre-pandemic life
Call-out for phone snaps of what were everyday scenes triggers new social media sensation
A Twitter thread asking users to share their “last normal photo” from before the coronavirus outbreak has gone viral, with celebrities among the thousands of people getting in on the action.
Leeds-based journalist Robyn Vinter was bombarded with replies within hours of posting a tweet on Saturday requesting “to see the last normal pic on your phone”.
“I spotted Jon Ronson had replied, and a couple more fairly high-profile people and then I noticed Monica Lewinsky had,” Vinter told The Guardian. “I thought: that’s weird, how did she find my little tweet out of nowhere? Then I saw there were thousands of replies.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Other photos posted feature families celebrating birthdays, friends sharing drinks in bars, and “concert-goers jostling against each other. Crowds without a mask in sight and no thought of physical distancing,” says Canada’s CTV News.
Vinter’s call-out was inspired by a BBC article showing “pictures from before we had to come to terms with lockdowns and social distancing”.
One of the photos tagged online with the hashtag #lastnormalphoto in response to a request from the broadcaster shows the wedding of a British couple in the Austrian Alps.
“On the Friday night as our guests arrived, Austria announced they would be shutting down from Sunday. On Saturday 14 March we married, and on the Sunday we were escorted from the resort back to the airport,” groom Tom Archer told the broadcaster.
“The campervan with the wedding cake inside is still in a Munich car park,” he added.
Labour MP Jess Phillips has shared her final pre-pandemic photo too, while freelance journalist Jack Needham tweeted an image that will resonate with many.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why is Tesla stumbling?
In the Spotlight More competition, confusion about the future and a giant pay package for Elon Musk
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How Taylor Swift changed copyright negotiations in music
under the radar The success of Taylor's Version rerecordings has put new pressure on record labels
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Job scams are increasingly common. Here's what to look out for.
The Explainer You should never pay for an application or give out your personal info before being hired
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Nigeria's worsening rate of maternal mortality
Under the radar Economic crisis is making hospitals unaffordable, with women increasingly not receiving the care they need
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
How happy is Finland really?
Today's Big Question Nordic nation tops global happiness survey for seventh year in a row with 'focus on contentment over joy'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The hollow classroom
Opinion Remote school let kids down. It will take much more than extra tutoring for kids to recover.
By Mark Gimein Published
-
How Tehran became the world's nose job capital
Under the radar Iranian doctors raise alarm over low costs, weak regulation and online influence of 'Western beauty standards'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Africa's renewed battle against female genital mutilation
Under the radar Campaigners call for ban in Sierra Leone after deaths of three girls as coast-to-coast convoy prepares to depart
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Excess screen time is making children only see what is in front of them
Under the radar The future is looking blurry. And very nearsighted.
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published