DOHA
With the coronavirus continuing to ravage the world and close to a fifth of the world’s population — or 1.5bn people — being asked or ordered outright to stay home and work remotely as new virus infections soar, the importance of digital technology for our lives in the current situation has become clear even to the technically most uninclined. There has been a boom in digital services as that the virus is forcing us to use the Internet as it was always meant to be used, to connect, share information and resources and come up with collective new solutions. Applications some of at least the older generations might not even have heard of such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Zoom, Skype, Periscope, Spaces or Oculus found their way in thousands and thousands of households, while schools introduced digital home learning and companies virtual coworking, while personalised businesses such as real estate agencies, gym trainers, cosmetic studios, healthcare services, financial advisers and many others and have turned to virtual reality to stay connected with customers. Even many religious services are now being held via online livestreams rather than in person. All this means that a new digital culture has been established that will likely not go away after the coronavirus has. —GulTimes
