TRANSITIONING INTO THE NEW NORMAL WITH TECHNOLOGY
By Onyekachi Chukwu and Ifeoma Malo
Oxford English Dictionary defines the ‘New normal’ as a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, usual, or expected. Covid-19 has led to the emergence of a new normal, which has affected the way we work and carry out daily activities all across the globe.
As things very slowly and gradually transition back to the way that they used to be, certain aspects of life will have to remain the way they are as a result of the aftermath of the pandemic. Remotely carrying out daily tasks will become an integral part of the new normal, and this is where technology comes into play. What this means is that the government, corporates, as well as consumers will have to rely so much on digital channels in order to gain access to goods, services, information, and entertainment during these trying times.
The dependence on technology has soared, and most activities that required physical presence such as meetings, seminars, and workshops are now done virtually and are being replaced with webinars and online meetings all at the ease of our individual’s homes and comfort zones. Technological trends such as; online shopping, digital and contactless payment, remote work, distance learning, online entertainment are on the increase as well.
Looking at the way technology infrastructure is enabling changes globally as a result of the pandemic; an interesting article by ‘The Verge’ estimates that; Zoom usage has soared from 10 million daily meeting participants back in December to 300 million recently. Rivals like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet appear to be closing the gap as well. Microsoft has 75 million daily active users of Teams, a jump from 70 percent in a month. Microsoft also recorded 200 million meeting participants in a single day. Google Meet is adding roughly 3 million new users each day and has a hit of over 100 million daily meeting participants recently.
The above estimate of the surge in the number of virtual meeting platforms users during this pandemic period goes a long way to show that around the world, people rely on the use of communication technology to carry out their various corporate activities especially with the current pandemic situation, and the ban on public gathering. This trend has come to stay and this is because people have come to realize that remote working can be as effective as working physically and also a wide range of individuals can be reached virtually.
Technology is an important part of the crisis response during this pandemic period. In Nigeria, it is used by the Federal as well as various state governments to monitor, track and to contain the spread of the virus, indicate hotspot areas to keep people informed, and also to deliver welfare measures and provide services to people globally. The government understands that in order to gain an edge in this “new normal”, it is important to leverage new technologies and to transition to digital platforms that promote collaboration. Therefore, in order to adapt to the new normal, different aspects of technology and innovation have to be explored.
Furthermore, it is worthy of note that the educational, healthcare, and entertainment sectors have also moved towards digital during this current pandemic, and that this new business and operational model will possibly be adopted in years to come to reach new markets. In the education sector more specifically, there has been a surge in e-learning platforms, as well as online courses and webinars. Rapid growth in the online healthcare services as well as entertainment trends and social media apps spring up daily.
We will therefore explore ways in which technology has been able to influence consumers/individuals and the working environment/business place as well. For the consumers, the use of technology has made purchasing seamless with the help of e-commerce companies. In Nigeria, e-commerce companies such as; Jumia, Konga, Payporte etc have played integral parts in bringing about solutions to challenges faced by the majority of individuals during this pandemic. Both providers and consumers now understand that carrying out everyday activities such as; purchasing groceries, books and medicines can easily be done through the internet.
In the corporate sphere, adapting to remote work arrangements has been made easier through the integration of technology into daily activities ranging from managing remote work and employee engagement to managing customer experiences. There has been a significant increase in the usage of digital platforms that support live-video communication which is likely to become a norm come post Covid.
Clean Technology Hub has not been left out in adapting to these new technological trends. We encourage the increased adoption of emerging technologies such as; clean technology, data sciences, artificial intelligence and exploring new technological trends. We are utilizing digital platforms to the fullest, realizing that as the world is changing and things are transitioning into the new normal, technology is key. Breaking new grounds in technology has become an integral part of human life. As individuals and companies, it is necessary to strive towards self-skilling, upskilling, and self -development around increased digitalization, enhanced technology usage, and improved access in order to be able to respond easily to the ever-changing trends in the workforce. This is playing out as one of the most important parts of our transitional existence and our ability to adapt to a new way of doing, and being.
Onyekachi Chukwu is an Analyst, Environment and Climate Action at Clean Technology Hub
Ifeoma Malo is the Co-founder/CEO of Clean Technology Hub.
