This post has been written by Mamta Kumari, a law student from Banasthali Vidyapith.
INTRODUCTION
Ongoing spread of deadly coronavirus has changed everybody’s life whether it can be personal, professional and social which created huge risk. But a person cannot overlook his necessities and it forced a person to opt for different options to run his day to day life. This pandemic has brought a huge loss to man as well as economy. The covid outbreak has closed many doors but it has also opened several doors for the daily operations. One of them can be running one’s life by relying upon technology.
Technology proved to be a tremendous resource for society in the wake of coronavirus and allowed us to continue our social life amid this pandemic and lockdown.
CHALLENGES AMID CORONAVIRUS
Covid-19 is born with a lot of challenges to the mankind and economy of the world in which survival is above all.
One of the challenges which is arising is lack of communication as due to lockdown people were not able to communicate and interact with one another. The pandemic disproportionately affected poor and marginalised communities. In India around 65% of population do not have access to internet or smartphones due to which they cannot stand on the same footing as of the people who have sufficient means of access.
One of the biggest challenges was running of business, this created negative impact on the global economy by affecting several sectors and people were not able to create revenue. The pandemic cancelled the big projects, important conferences and meetings, production which in turn leads to economic loss where the pace of recovery would be long and painful.
Spread of coronavirus created a thought of missing of school and college by students and if missed the panic of completion of classroom syllabus, exam, internships arise. There are so many essential works like payments of bills whether it can be of electricity, water, mobile phone, purchase of necessary articles, filing of applications, judicial hearings, submission of school/college fee etc. but people are facing difficulty in doing all such things.
Problems are not only created for the general public but for the Government also, the officials who are posted for the betterment of the citizens were also not able to do their jobs. Another challenge is for the life of migrant labourer and workers of unorganised sectors due to the closure of factories and other enterprises they lost their jobs and earnings. supply of goods especially essential articles is also stopped.
TECHNOLOGY ENTERED IN RESPONSE TO THESE CHALLENGES
A long list of challenges was created amid coronavirus and due to the lockdown of people in their respective homes the daily livings gets disturbed and for the continuous running of social life people opt for technological ideas.
- NEW LIFE GIVEN BY TECHNOLOGY
Earlier people were not equipped with the technological tools as compared to current situations and people started facing problems but the technology proved to be the god father for some and who were working by their physical appearance before are now working from their homes. Due to the outbreak and need of survival, people were indirectly forced in one or the other way to taste this new life. In educations sector also teachers started monitoring the students through online mode. People started using different mobile applications for their work and entertainment.
- TECHNOLOGY- MEDIUM FOR DAY TO DAY OPERATION
Most of the people do not have any strategy, tools or any infrastructure from which a person cannot do his daily operations or can work from home. At a good pace, people are getting technologically advanced due to which partly our life is getting confined to the use of technology and use of various online applications. For every sort of work people are approaching technology in one or the other way. It can be running of business, clerical work, own start-ups, video conferencing, job interview, live entertainment programmes, online shopping etc.
- DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF BUSINESS
As discussed earlier that one door of opportunity is closed, automatically the other gets open. When the physical mode of doing business is affected by the outbreak of covid-19, the online world of business opportunities enters. There exists solution of lots of problem by working digitally as employee all over the world are asked by the employers to work from home. It also prioritizes the digital investment transformation which includes investing in new digitized systems.
- INCREASE IN E-EDUCATION
Spread of coronavirus created a thought of missing of school and college but this cannot be long lasting in the wake of technology. This shifted the whole education system into e-learning. According to UNESCO since the beginning of covid-19, in around 138 countries,1.37 billion students are effected and searching for the alternative to study.
E-education is not new to the student fraternity but it is not in much use by the students as now along with the university level students, school going students are also doing their studies by opting the electronic mode of education, classes are being organised by several online applications like zoom app, goggle meet, google classroom etc. and because of which students are spending their lots of time with technology instead of going school and listening to the lecture as face to face delivery of lecture is not posible.
The online mode of learning has also several advantages as it is more affordable which spares the students from the cost of travelling to school and campus. Even for the students in their final years, it helps them to give some time in other activities like part time jobs, online internships along e-classes.
Lacking equipment
This is the biggest challenge which e-education is facing, students and teachers do not have sufficient equipment and e-learning materials. Teachers do not have accounts on digital platforms and even they do not have accessed it in past due to which they are facing several difficulties in teaching.
In e-education also some students and their parents are not able to monitor the electronic mode for the study and classes, some because of lack of education and other due to non- availability of tools like mobile phones, computers or laptops, internet facility.
- GOVERNMENT ALSO FOUND TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS
Central and the State Government also put technology to its forefront in fighting against coronavirus. Government has organised its working in such a way so as to ensure public trust. One of the applications through which Government is working is Aarogya Setu app which is designed as a ‘digital tracing app’ by which people are informed about the risk of infection, use of drone technology, data visualization for policy making.
Many departments and offices of government have moved to video conferencing solutions through applications like Cisco Webex, zoom, Microsoft Teams etc.Electronic passes were also issued by the Government for movement from one place to another for necessary work
TECHNOLOGY CANNOT BE ALTERNATIVE FOR EVERY WORK
Technology cannot work in every phase of life. The virus has a long- term effect on the men and economy and every category of person cannot use technology for their daily works and earning.
In India no 100% literacy exist and no person is comfortable with the use of digital tool due to lack of education. Not even every person is hired for doing online employment as the one who are daily earners cannot opt it for earning food and shelter including migrant labourer and the workers of unorganised sectors.Students whose parents do not have sufficient resources and provide education by leading toughest life cannot continue in times of crises where survival becomes question mark in society.
CONCLUSION
Where people locked themselves in their houses by the fear of pandemic, becomes dependent upon technology for doing their regular works but this can only be done by some in the society. When we talk about covid-19, it is not for selected person or community, it is affecting the society as whole including rich and poor. There is no doubt in the fact that adoption of technology has solved our problems at large scale whether of Government or of general public. Business, education, various payments, administration all becomes possible by technological advancement, but technology cannot confine life of each and every person of the society. Rich who have means to access and literate who know how to access can do it easily but what about poor and illiterate ones whose survival is also at risk and necessary.
REFERENCES
https://www.bluefountainmedia.com/blog/impact-covid-19-future-technology
https://www.pratititech.com/blog/covid-19-and-its-impact-on-digital-transformation
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