The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually everyone on earth. It has also greatly affected the way in which society operates, from business to education to the global supply chain.
One of the most prominent changes brought about by the crisis is the use of technology in these areas, and how only months of a global pandemic have managed to initiate what could be considered years of technological integrations.
As the response to a pandemic is to separate people so that they don't transmit a novel virus, technology quickly became the solution to bridge the gaps created by it.
Consumers have increasingly turned to online channels during the pandemic, and businesses and industries alike have responded in kind.
For example, many businesses have implemented online workplaces, with virtualised teams now commonplace. Something that may not have been considered practical prior to the crisis, remote work was the only option for many businesses forced to close offices during the initial shutdown. Boardrooms quickly turned virtual, and operations close to completely digital. As these changes grew in popularity, so too did companies' willingness to implement them into their business models across the board.
From this, technology such as video conferencing, remote collaborative tools and digital file storage and transfers have become more commonplace. This has really opened a door to companies within the sector, to further innovate and improve their products and services.
Many companies, both big and small, were forced to re-evaluate their online strategy at the onset of the pandemic. Many businesses quickly found that the technology and digital presence they had prior to the crisis wasn't going to hold up to meet their entire demand.
Because of this, many organisations became much more digitally literate, allowing themselves to be found easier, and operate more efficiently, online. This has also greatly adapted the way in which society works, as we now have a market that is notably more technologically integrated than before the pandemic.
Furthermore, COVID-19 and the technological relevance that has come with it has prompted many companies to explore automation, reimagining the way in which processes such as product manufacturing and delivery are done. This has seemed to work very well for industries such as the automotive industry, with many companies looking into automating their assembly lines.
An immediate need for dependency on technology has forced society to expedite its natural progression of digital innovation, causing an immediate need to make what would have been considered otherwise, abrupt changes. Things such as QR codes, which used to be considered mainly a novelty, are now extremely mainstream and a practical necessity for some people.
As the pandemic progressed, society evolved with it, shifting towards a total alignment with technology. These technological changes, which were fairly new prior to the pandemic crisis, have now become commonplace in society. The general population has seamlessly integrated these into their daily lives. Whether or not some of these changes are good or bad is debatable to many, but undoubtedly a huge advance in a myriad of ways with the ability to affect things in an ongoing way.
