The pandemic has caused a huge change in the way we
deal with life in general. So much has changed in the last two years. The way
we work, the way we play, the way we deal with people. Jobs have changed as
companies have had to change the way they function. Normally these changes
would have taken at least a decade or more to be adopted. But times have been
anything but normal in the last three years or so.
It is not that technology was not being developed
before the pandemic. But we are adapting much faster. People are more ready to
assimilate new technology in their lives and their daily routines because of
the pandemic. Why? Many things which we took for granted before the pandemic
were disrupted as the virus spread around the world. The simple routine of
going to the market to buy necessities or to go to one’s office for work became
impossible. In this case technology came
to the rescue. This was not rocket science. Simple things like working online,
and making digital payments or ordering groceries became routine. It was a
paradigm shift. It is not that people were not doing it earlier. It is that the
adoption to the new ways was happening much faster. The transition period is
much shorter now.
The paradigm shift happened not only in adoption of
new technology, but a complete change of attitude was witnessed the world over.
People wanted to get over this disruption of their lives as quickly as
possible. They were ready to do anything
as long as their actions kept them away from the dreaded disease and helped
them get on with their lives.
The world in general slowed down as the lockdowns
hit, but some businesses took off. Online delivery services saw a rapid rise
demand. Healthcare food, medicines and allied industries suddenly saw a big
uptick in their sales.
It is predicted that technology will leapfrog in the
next decade and we can see some telltale signs today. Nano technology is on the
verge of takeoff. Combined with AI and ML, it will revolutionise its
applications fundamentally.
Similarly many technologies under development have
the potential to change the way we live, work, travel and do business. Electric
vehicles will be come into use in a big way in the near future. Battery
technology is undergoing a revolution. Li-ion, Aluminum and Sodium Ion
batteries may find use in the new electric vehicles currently on the drawing
board. Digital payments are already being used on a large scale and digital
currencies are not far behind. The Reserve Bank of India recently announced
that it will introduce the digital Rupee in the near future.
The pace of innovation has accelerated over the
course of the pandemic, or so it seems. Many technology companies have made
money during this period despite the slowdown in economic activity in general.
This does show that new technology is more readily being assimilated in our
everyday routine.
They say predicting the future is dangerous. However one thing can be safely predicted. It does not matter if this pandemic lasts longer or mankind is hit by another one, we are going to see some rapid and profound changes in the way this world is run.
