To What Extent Businesses Are Benefiting from Online Technology in the Corona Crisis?

Adoption of innovation and change in the business world is considered an essential component, and in the Coronavirus crisis, lockdown and restrictions on maintaining social distance have multiplied the reliance of businesses and workers on the use of online technology. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, 37% of jobs in the United States are currently done from home. On the other hand, the extraordinary situation created by Covid-19 has left 30 million Americans unemployed.

In areas affected by the coronavirus, 87% of small businesses are suffering losses, while 35% say they will not be able to operate for more than three months. Dr. Sandy Shaw, head of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce says that the current situation is a major challenge for workers and business owners as well as an opportunity. Experts say that although there was an increase in online buying and selling even before the spread of the virus, many businesses are of nature in which direct human interaction and communication is an essential component, such as property. Buying and selling, construction, the restaurant industry, and many small scale daily necessities business. The use of technology in the fields of health and medical facilities has also increased significantly and according to experts, new opportunities are now emerging in the private sector.

Dr. Shaista Hameed, a Pakistani from Virginia, says the use of both telemedicine and telepsychiatry has increased in this crisis. Before the current situation, the trend of telemedicine was increasing. But, still many people were reluctant to use it. According to a recent UN report, more than 1.5 billion employees worldwide are facing layoffs due to the coronavirus. In this age of coronavirus outbreaks, people are left wondering whether the unequal use of technology, especially Internet technology, will create more imbalances in the future or whether this crisis will be a moment of positive change.

The use of online technology in this crisis has made this very clear that in the future technology and human beings will be of almost equal importance. The new routine created by these extraordinary circumstances will be mixed and many businesses and workers will have to work with artificial intelligence and their own invention, as future job opportunities and business success become more competitive.