The pandemic has opened its eyes to what can be achieved when offline systems that people have relied on for decades effectively disappear overnight.
Fortunately, the pandemic came at a time when most professional and personal tasks and activities were highly transferable online. If it had happened 20 years ago without super-fast Internet connections, cloud services, and the Internet of Things (IoT), there would have been no infrastructure capable of supporting what actually became a new way of life.
One of the biggest changes took place in a job where people who were previously locked in nine to five jobs switched to permanent telecommuting. In the United States, 42% of the workforce worked from home by June last year, and many of the changes that have taken effect may be permanent.
While it has eliminated long commutes and enabled employees to achieve a better work-life balance, MIT CEO Elisabeth Reynolds believes the big challenge is finding a solution for 60 percent of employees who cannot work from Home.
However, the change has certainly changed our perception of what can only be achieved by sitting at home in front of laptops and computers. Global consultant McKinsey & Company also believes the pandemic has accelerated current technology trends, such as the growth of e-commerce and the use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
The work was not the only area where digital devices made new connections possible. The video conferencing platform Zoom hosted 45 billion minutes of webinars last year, but its ability to host personal birthday parties, quizzes, and other traditionally offline leisure activities changed people’s daily experiences.
Instead of trying to visit a person’s house, people just had to click on a simple invite via email and text message, and they could join the party right away from their desktop, laptop, or mobile device. There can be up to 100 people at a party, and the quality and reliability of video and audio guarantee a unique experience for everyone.
The pandemic has also seen hobbies that were once again popular in traditional, offline settings, moving more strongly towards digital. But it was only with the closure of physical locations that the value of online solutions and services came to the fore. SuperSevenThe site, founded by successful industry professionals, aims to take the digital experience to the next level with, among other things, an automated and valuable reward system.
Network convenience is also a trend that has been strengthened through movie watching and streaming. It didn’t seem possible just 18 months ago that viewers could watch a new hit product at home before it was shown in a movie theater, but it came true in 2020.
Warner Bros. recently announced the release of its 2021 movie album, including the highly anticipated Matrix 4, Dune, and Suicide Squad on HBO Max – the same day these movies arrive at U.S. movie theaters.
Although movie theaters have now reopened around the world, the changes brought about by the pandemic could see joint releases of new films in the long run, fundamentally changing the entertainment industry.
There is an internet connection essential for a healthy and productive society, but last year has highlighted how it can support so many things that we once thought were forever offline.
With new technologies such as blockchain, 5G, augmented reality and quantum computing, even more is possible online in the future. While everything is not replaced by wholesale and offline experiences remain valuable, the last 12 months have certainly led more and more people to re-evaluate their belief in the extent to which digital can complement and improve our lives.
HT
Source: The Nordic Page