The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has affected many aspects in our lives. It is a hard-hit for the societies and economies around the globe. We are forced to adapt with the new normal. Changes that seemed unthinkable before becomes a common practice nowadays. Workers who used to work from their office are now urged to work remotely. Students can’t attend the classes offline and get their lesson through online learning platforms. The government also restricts movement of people, closes some public places, and implements social distancing.
The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation in the wide ranges of domain. The use of digital communication and information brings substantial impacts on how the society lives. The migration to digital technologies driven by the pandemic creates opportunities for exploring new ways to cope up with the problem in the pandemic era and even after the pandemic. For example, classes are conducted using video conferencing, the government monitor the virus spread using mobile phone applications, and people can still interact with each other despite being isolated at their home using social messaging system. However, these also creates challenges and risks. Some people who are not experienced with the sudden use of technology may have technology anxiety. Digital rights and the flow of the information are the other challenges that may rise because of the wide use of digital communication and information. So, it’s vital for us to find measures, tools, and strategies to minimize the challenges and risks during the pandemic and after the pandemic.