The Pandemic and the Society

Technology has played a massively important role in the history of humanity, especially during difficult times like pandemics. Social restructuring and progress owe so much to the guiding light of science since time immemorial. In a world where progress and development are synonymous with technological advancements, it is only logical that in these times of distress, we resort to technology to find our answers.

With the lockdown measures affecting the economy throughout the world, the recent pandemic has influenced humanity in more ways than we can fathom. With companies and industries rushing to the comforting refuge of Work From Home culture, the pandemic has somewhat accelerated our dependence on technology. With digitization reaching even the most remote locations of the world, much of our societal progress is now not restricted to fantasy.

A glance in the past can help us see the role of technology in pandemics. For example, the 14th century Black Plague, one of the deadliest pandemics to affect humanity led to some significant discoveries and development in the field of science and technology. As some people noted, the era led to a European technological renaissance that enabled humanity to stand adversity.

In modern society, therefore, Digitization and Automation can be thought of as the flag bearer of societal progress.

Automation and Digitization in the Pandemic

The plummeting economy, vanishing jobs and an increased unemployment rate are some of the results of the worldwide lockdown. The job crisis was already at the edge because of overpopulation; the pandemic only made it worse. At this point, with industry 4.0 already grabbing headlines, countless jobs are disappearing with robots and computers taking over.

But is there an upside to the increased automation and digitization in the current scenario? Technological tools like advanced computing, AI and the internet has enabled us to stay healthy in the face of a global pandemic. Some sectors of society like daily wage workers have received a decisive blow because of the lockdown. However, most of the office jobs haven’t affected many thanks to the internet. The internet came with scores of ways of keeping businesses and projects up and running. You can access your projects in the comfort of your home and collaborate with your colleagues thanks to cloud-based programs. With online meetings and seminars, communication hasn’t been an issue.

Whether our dependence on automation and digitization in this day and age will cause another renaissance in the field is something only time can tell. In these times of distress, we need to make fair use of the resources at hand and come out of this situation stronger than ever.