Jyoti Sarkar
During this pandemic situation technology has played a vital role .So that people are able to do many things virtually.
Some of the technology that made people’s life easier during the pandemic
- Fitness Health apps-
New alternatives are being introduced by health and fitness apps to help people remain fit at the comfort of staying indoors due to the pandemic situation.Several fitness and health brands have started conducting live workout sessions on their apps and social media platforms.
- Contact Tracing Applications-
Contact tracing apps like Arogya Setu have assisted in tracking the COVID-19 spread. Technology has also helped in educating people about the entire situation and reminding them to take the necessary precautions. Telecom operators such as BSNL, Jio, Airtel, etc have used caller tunes for spreading awareness about the pandemic. The facial recognition technology has helped in identifying people accurately even when they are wearing a mask. Technology has also helped in monitoring the movement of quarantined people. CCTV cameras which are enabled with facial recognition feature have helped in identifying infected individuals who do not follow the rules and step out their homes despite being quarantined.
- OTT Platforms-
The term OTT or “Over The Top” is used for the delivery of film and TV content via internet, for which users don’t need to subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite pay-tv service, the market for which has revolutionised considerably in a way the content is created, distributed, and streamed. People constantly want a variety of content and specially during the lockdown catered to this demand magnificently with the perennial additions of varied content.Without any outdoor entertainment ,the lockdown has led to more people inadvertently realising the convenience of OTT, which has already created a shift in the way content is consumed on a day-to-day basis.During the lockdown period, leading OTT platforms like Hotstar, amazon Prime Video, Zee5, AltBalaji,Voot select saw a substantial rise in viewership and app downloads.
- Game Space-
To reduce their boredom, one of the activities on which people spend time during the COVID-19 lockdown was playing online games that results into online gaming market in India witnessing a skyrocketing increase in user engagement. Trending games during this pandemic time were Ludo King, Carrom,Helo..etc.
- Education-
Education is another domain in which there a dramatic shift to the online mode of transacting.Since the beginning of the lockdown,schools,colleges,and universities around the world have shifted their classes to video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet.Technologies used in distant learning include augmented reality,3D printing, virtual reality, and robot teachers enabled with artificial intelligence.
- Work from home-
The work from home option has ensured business continuity for various companies and businesses, internet, data privacy security, virtual meetings, cloud conferencing.. etc. have assisted professionals in adapting themselves to work from home scenario with ease.WFH has also ensured that the deliverables are not delayed.Remote working has been a blessing in disguise,which has helped us to a great extent to maintain and follow social distancing protocols.
- Online Fraud-
Along with the surge in the use of digital technologies, we are now witnessing a rise in online fraud, scams, intrusions, and security breaches. The pandemic has created a scenario of insecurity that is inviting fraudsters to exploit the crisis situation by extracting money or information. Many users are beginning to rely on digital resources extensively, some for the first time, and are becoming targets for fraud and scams. Organizations and governments are aware of this threat and are taking countermeasures-for instance, some governments took strong stand against Zoom sessions for education, forcing the platform provider to upgrade security. Research will likely focus on managing security, assess the causes of breaches, and the economic and social loss from them.
Conclusion
COVID-19 has proved that technology innovations have been helping in managing the epidemic in a timely, systematic, and calm manner. A lesson learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic has been to stay prepared well in advance against any crisis at both an individual and collective level. All we need to fight an epidemic like COVID-19 is preparedness. Advancement in technology is steadily progressing; it will undoubtedly continue to grow exponentially. It’s we humans who have to adapt to changes in technology faster and continue to invest in building the technology system for better preparedness.
