View of DIGITALIZATION DURING COVID

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING

Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037

Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

Vol. 06, Special Issue 01, (IC-RCOVID19) April 2021 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 206 DIGITALIZATION DURING COVID

Riya Sharma

Abstract:- Technology is becoming very important part of our lives since many years but dependence on technology reached its peak during covid-19. The distance from our closed ones made us adopt new technologies or made us techno friendly. Every person has different opinions on different topics as if we talk about technology, it can be a curse or boon both at the same time. Areas affected by technology are education, social media, economy, health sector and international relations.

Keywords: Technology, evolution of technology, areas affected by technology, future of technology in India etc.

1. INTRODUCTION

Technology means study of techniques. It can be electronic or non-electronic. Adding value to anything and making a common item valuable by doing such a method which has never been seen before is called technology. Example: - adding different machines into plastic box made mobiles, refrigerator, washing machines etc. since the social media became part of our life, the older generations always criticize the younger generation for being addicted towards the technology and gadgets but now they must have realized that social media or technology can fill the gap between old and young, and also fills up the generation gap.

2. CHANGES ADOPTED BY DIFFERENT SECTORS DURING COVID

1. Education Sector: Education plays an important role in everyone’s life but Covid has changed the way we used to study. Technology played an important role during this period as we shifted from classroom learning to online classes. Development of technology or technological up-gradation made it possible to study even during this difficult time also. Online classes through different apps made it possible to learn different things at different times at different places. It has increased the no. of opportunities in different fields which were earlier unknown to a large section of society. People are pursuing fashion design courses online, different types of art forms online, preparing for competitive exams online, learning how to cook etc.

This has increased the scope of online education and made it possible to afford education for free of cost or from different areas.

2. Finance or Economy: The use of online payment apps has reduced the chances of theft and corruption. This pandemic has made us realize the value of money. Many people now know how important it is to save money as life is unpredictable. Though the economy has collapsed, many people lost their jobs and many people become homeless, but this pandemic has made us realize that money cannot buy happiness all the time. Even the richest person is not safe if does not take precautions from the virus. Work from home has become ‘NEW NORMAL”. Though this concept is quite good, this again made us realize that to work for earning we don’t need big infrastructure, big buildings or offices. Even sitting far from the clints we can communicate our message and make deals easily. Less earning has surely reduced the purchasing power and interest of people, which has become the reason why the economy is collapsing.

3. Health Sector: As this disease is not well known to doctors and health experts, we are still in confusion that what needs to be done to cure the disease except keeping social distance, putting masks and keeping our surrounding hygienic. The only sector which got boost during this pandemic is the health sector. Robots are being used to maintain social distance. Technology has made it possible to transfer knowledge, expert advice and new methods to deal with such scenario for future also.

4. Social Media: Social media sector has rapidly increased during covid-19. The users of different social media platforms have increased as to make themselves connected with their families, relatives and friends along with maintaining social distance.

Social media also played an important role in spreading awareness as well. People

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING

Vol. 06, Special Issue 01, (IC-RCOVID19) April 2021 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 207 got news from social media as news channels seems boring and monotonous to half of the population in India though media plays an important role in our lives.

5. Digital Marketing: Though online shopping was common before Covid also but the pandemic made it more common and digital marketing became part of life. Be it grocery, clothes, accessories, machines, food, medicine etc now everything is available online and we can by anything from anywhere by just sitting at home.

6. International Relations: Video conferencing has made it possible for us to connect with different countries and made it possible for us to adopt and learn new technology from other countries also.

3. NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Dependence on technology has increased during this pandemic but here are some widely used apps. Some of them are made in India which can be useful to manage our things and to keep ourselves updated.

1. Arogya Setu: This is developed by govt. of India or more precisely by the national informatics centre. This app lets you know if a Covid patient is nearer to you and also keeps you aware about the symptoms of corona virus. Govt. of India made it compulsory for all public and private business to download the app for keeping safety.

2. Zoom: Zoom is a video conferencing app which is being widely used by people during the pandemic. It is mostly used by office workers and students to keep themselves connected.

3. Paytm: Paytm is an online payment app which is being used by many people during Covid as social interaction is banned during lockdown. Paytm is developed by Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

4. Hike Messenger: It is also an Indian app developed by BharatiSoft bank. It is somewhere similar to WhatsApp and becoming popular among Indians in India as well as Indians outside India.

5. Zomato: It is a food-tech giant developed by Deependra Goyal, Pankaj Chadda and Gunjan Patidar. It is spread across 19 countries and covers more than 2000 restaurants in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

6. Shifu: Shifu is an Indian app which is made to keep in touch with your daily schedule. It reminds you to do your incomplete tasks and also tracks how much time you have spend on your mobile.

7. Daily Hunt: It helps us to keep ourselves updated from our surroundings. It covers news from more than 97 newspapers and is available in 11 languages.

4. CONCLUSION

Technology plays a vital role in everyone’s life now. People may curse it sometimes but without technology it will be difficult for us to manage our things though we can complete our work without few technologies also but if it is saving our time and making our work simpler than it is not bad to use technology. Social media, education apps, gaming apps and shopping app have good future in India. If work from home concept become widely accepted then it is way better option for Indians as well as for foreigners, as people can work from other countries and there will be less migrants across the world. Though this pandemic is bad for each and every sector but if we take it in a positive way then it is an opportunity for us to learn new things and make our country more independent in different fields. India is working very hard to overcome herself from this pandemic and making everything normal. It is up to us how much we take care of ourselves. India has the youngest population so our innovative and creative thinking can change the perception of other people. Happiness can’t be brought by materialistic things but it is a state of mind which gives us reason to live our life peacefully. Likewise, it is upto us how we take this pandemic.

REFERENCE

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3. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hbe2.242

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING

Vol. 06, Special Issue 01, (IC-RCOVID19) April 2021 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 208 4. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/5-technology-advancements-during-covid-19-wearables-ai/

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