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The Impact Of Digital Technology On Human Life During COVID-19

A Project Submitted to
University of Mumbai for partial completion of the degree of
Master in Commerce
Under the faculty of commerce

By
Priyanka Mishra

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Saumitra Sawant

Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, B-

Road, Churchgate, Mumbai : 400 020

October 2022

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 Index
Chapter No. Title Page No.
1. Introduction
1. Origin and Development
2. Concept
3. Significance & Importance
4. Theories
5. Government Guidelines
6. Status with reference to India
7. Status with reference to world
8. Drawbacks
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 Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, B- Road, Churchgate,

Mumbai : 400 020

Certificate
This is to certify that Ms/Mr has worked and duly completed her/his Project Work for the degree
of Master in Commerce Under the Faculty of Commerce in the subject of __________________
___________________________ and his/her project is entitled, “ The Impact Of Digital
Technology On Human Life During COVID-19" under my supervision.
I further certify that the entire work has been done by the learner under my guidance and that no
part of it has been submitted previously for any Degree or Diploma of any University.
It is her/his own work and facts reported by her/his personal findings and investigations.

Name and Signature of

Guiding teacher

Date of Submission:

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 Declaration by Learner

I the undersigned Miss / Mr. Priyanka Mishra here by, declare that the work embodied in this
project work titled “The Impact Of Digital Technology On Human Life During COVID-19"
forms my own contribution to the research work carried out under the guidance of Dr. Saumitra
Sawant is a result of my own research work and has not been previously submitted to any other
University for any other Degree/ Diploma to this or any other University.

Wherever reference has been made to previous works of others, it has been clearly indicated as
such and included in the bibliography.

I, here by further declare that all information of this document has been obtained and presented
in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct.

Name and Signature of the Larmer

Certified by

Name and signature of the Guiding Teacher

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 Acknowledgement

To list who all have helped me is difficult because they are so numerous and the dept is so
enormous.
I would like to acknowledge the following as being idealistic channels and fresh dimensions in
the completion of this project.
I take this opportunity to thank the University of Mumbai for giving me the chance to do this
project.
I would like to thank my Principal, Dr. Madhuri Kagalkar for providing the necessary
facilities required for completion of this project.
I take this opportunity to thank our Coordinator for her moral support and
guidance.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude towards my project guide whose
guidance and care made the project successful.
I would like to thank my College Library, for having provided various reference books and
magazines related to my project.
Lastly, I would also like thank each and every person who directly or indirectly helped me in the
completion of the project especially my Parents and Peers who supported me throughout my
project.

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 The Impact Of Digital Technology On Human Life During COVID-19

Introduction
Digital technology and its increasing prevalence have impacted human life radically in the last
few decades. From the advent of the digital society, spawned by the invention of the computer
and ENIAC, one of the first digital computers in 1946, to the present day, digital technology and
computing have worked their way into more areas of life, from communications to finance to
social interaction. You can see the impact daily in homes, schools and offices.
Internet: The Internet has brought an almost infinite amount of information right into your home
and workplace. Increasingly, this information is also available to you while you are on the road
as well. As a result, you have access to massive amounts of human knowledge in the time it takes
to download a web page. Many jobs that were once only possible with access to research
libraries or other institutions can be done now from your home, or anywhere. A company's work
force has become dispersed as satellite offices can operate as if they were all centrally located.
The digital technology has also created new opportunities for remote employment. These
workplace changes are restructuring the face of the workforce and the possibilities for how
individual lives are structured as well. There have been correspondingly great changes in retail,
banking and other industries.
Communication: The ability to compress millions of transistors onto a chip the size of a
fingernail has allowed the advent of portable cellular communications. Cell phones, not so long
ago a luxury, are now ubiquitous, and some people use them to the exclusion of traditional land-
line telephones. This makes cell phone users universally available and brings enormous
communications capacity right to your pocket or purse. With it comes real or implied
expectations of universal availability. It is now sometimes impossible really to get away from
work, as cell phones and BlackBerrys with email capacity are functional almost anywhere on the
globe. As a result, these digital communications tools make workers more productive, but they
also make the employee more connected to the place of work. Work hours have increased as
technological breakthroughs that were meant to save time keep many working harder and longer.
Social: Social networking, using applications such as MySpace and Facebook, can put people in
touch with each other in ways that could not have been imaged prior to digital technology. The
speed and reach of contacts you can make and maintain means that everyone is findable and
reachable with a quick search engine query and an email. This means you can keep up with
friends that live half a globe away with ease and also means being contacted by persons you
thought you might never see again.

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1.1 Origin & Development
Many of us were already using our phones for the majority of our waking hours, but during the
current shelter-in-place-measures, digital technology has become more important than ever.
Now that we are unable to engage in face-to-face contact, remote communication through our
personal digital devices, such as our smartphones, is essential for staying connected with friends,
family and co-workers.
I would like to highlight three other ways that our digital devices could have a tremendous
influence during this pandemic, but also discuss the challenges and the important role of data
science herein.
1. Mental health apps might help to decrease anxiety and stress
The widespread media coverage on COVID-19, combined with social distancing measures, can
make us feel anxious and stressed. There are smartphone apps backed up by research that can
help people to cope with this difficult time. Therefore, it is critical that we take advantage of the
digital tools at our disposal.
Multiple meditation and wellness apps designed by the private sector have now opened up free
memberships to aid in easing anxiety. One example is Headspace, which has recently provided a
collection of meditation and mindfulness content, specifically for COVID-19. You can find some
more examples in various websites
One caveat of these health and wellness apps is that many people download them, but most use
them only for a short period of time. This may be because many apps are not personalized and
engaging enough, leading to their users quickly losing interest. We may be able to use data
science to improve these apps. For example, machine learning algorithms can deploy user data to
create recommendation engines that predict user behavior and optimize the content of these
apps.This is a great challenge in mobile health that needs significant work, but has tremendous
potential.

2. Apps can allow us to track COVID-19 symptoms and other measures of health

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Multiple governments, universities and companies have ferociously been working on apps that
allow people to track their COVID-19 symptoms and other health information, and receive
updates on who in their surroundings has contracted the virus. For example a COVID symptom
tracker has already been downloaded by 75,000 people in the UK, and was made available in the
US recently. This will eventually give researchers a gigantic dataset, to assess why COVID-19
symptoms vary so widely across people, and potentially identify where outbreaks are starting.
Further, scientists at the University of Oxford have rolled out an app that allows people to trace
who they have been in contact with, and warns people if any of their contacts has been tested
positive for the corona virus so that they can decide to self-isolate.
Because smartphones save information about a user's location through their GPS history, many
have argued that the widespread use of smartphones provides a unique opportunity for more
effective contact tracing. In the U.S., the government is discussing the possibility of using GPS
and movement data from Americans’ smartphones with the help of big tech companies to combat
the coronavirus.
However, the use of these apps is not without significant risks: critics say that this could lead to
increased government surveillance even after the pandemic is over, at the cost of the public’s
privacy. Ideally, this data should be encrypted and not be shared with third parties, but questions
have been raised by privacy experts on how governments save and use this data. Thus, there is an
important need for dialogue about the ethics of contact tracing by smartphones, and there is a
crucial role for cybersecurity experts to weigh-in during this pandemic. Finally, for these apps to
be effective in the first place, enough people need to use them.
3. Mobile apps could help to distribute reliable information
Recently, in the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS; the publicly funded
healthcare system) started working with tech companies to provide the public with accurate
information about COVID-19. Further, Singapore has been utilizing websites and social
messaging platforms on a daily basis to keep the population informed and advised about what to
do to reduce the risk of infection. Similarly, doctors and health institutions could make use of
social media and text-messaging to provide accurate information to their patients and the public.
However, social media platforms are notorious for spreading misinformation and ‘fake news’.
Large social media platforms are reportedly taking steps to remove false content or conspiracy
theories about the pandemic using artificial intelligence, and distribute reliable information, such
as developed by the World Health Organization. However, because of the overload of
information on social media, that misinformation might spread too fast for these algorithms.
After all, false news may spread more rapidly than factual information on social media
platforms.
In conclusion, our personal digital devices, combined with rigorous data science, are of crucial
importance during this COVID-19 pandemic. Though potentially revolutionary, the way that
digital technology can be used during this pandemic also comes with many challenges and risks.
Thus, we must be critical and think about how we can ensure that this technology will truly
benefit our society in this time of crisis.

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1.2 Concept
It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has radically impacted our daily lives. Even as
certain public safety restrictions begin to be lifted, it is clear that our psychological relationship
to work, socializing, space, and so much more has fundamentally shifted through the trauma we
have shared. With ongoing social distancing measures in place, our ‘normal’ ways of socializing
and working have changed considerably, most notably replacing in-person interaction with
virtual interaction.
As the initial shock of being forced to work from home and telecommute on a daily basis has
waned to a passive acceptance of our new common reality our assumptions about what it means
to produce, communicate, and connect has been transformed in ways we still don’t quite
understand the long-term ramifications of.
The Problem: At the heart of these shifts and ramifications is a question of how we as a society
and as individuals relate to the virtual technology that is now determining our social interactions.
Many of us are spending more time on our computers than we have ever had before. We make
jokes about how we spend so much more time we spend answering email than speaking to
friends and colleagues in person and we make off-handed comments on Zoom calls about how
time is more meaningless than ever.
In these jokes there lies a much deeper and more profound set of fears and insecurities: will
things ever be the same as they were before? How do we reclaim agency over these changes that
seem so outside our control? What does it mean to connect and work and communicate in a
world in which we are required to be separated by pixels and screens?
A primary element of the underlying psychology of the pandemic, especially as it relates to
technology, is that it has forcibly invited us to ask fundamental questions about the nature of
work, our relationship with technology, and our greater definitions of meaning and purpose in
our lives. Some of these questions can feel incredibly unsettling. They can make us feel out of
control, disoriented, and isolated. However, there are steps we can each take to flourish in our
new normal without losing our agency or integrity.

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1.3 Significance & Importance
Our world has seen many severe diseases and viruses over the years, these viruses and diseases
has brought many affects in the lives of humans. Lets talk about he current pandemic which has
taken the lives of so many people in one year, COVID 19. This deadly covid 19 is one of the
most fearful and dreadful viruses that has made very bad impact in lives. From the past one year,
each and every single person on earth is prisoned at home.
Role of technology in COVID19: During the COVID 19 pandemic, LOCKDOWN had been
imposed everywhere in the world. The educational institutions were shut, offices were closed,
markets were closed, and every sector was closed because of this deadly virus. In this fearful
situation the technology has also helped us. When the educational institutions were shut all over
the world, Online classes and sessions were organized through technology
Office employees were operating from home through technology. Physical business was just
converted into online business during he pandemic and gained much popularity and income.
During the COVID 19, when many people all over the world lost their jobs, many of them
started doing online remote jobs and business such FREELANCING, BLOGGING, DIGITAL
MARKETING ETC.

What is the importance of technology during this pandemic: Lets talk about the use of
technology during the pandemic. Many hospitals uses the advanced technology to treat the covid
patients. New treatment machines were developed. Covid 19 ratio and spread can be monetize
through new artificial intelligence based systems. The covid 19 vaccines were developed in less
than one year through technology. The technology also helped us to our time passed during
lockdown.
During the lockdown, many people were getting mentally ill but technology has also helped us to
counter mental illness. Many people choose to play video games during the lockdown, many
choose to do video calls with their friends around the world during the pandemic and many
choose to work online to keep themselves busy during the lockdown.

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IMPACTS OF COVID 19: The covid 19 has brought many bad impacts and affects in our
lives. Nearly half of the population of the world has lost their jobs. Education sector especially
students had suffered from big loss. The global economies got shut down. The exports were
down. Physical business has also suffered a very big loss.
Transportation was also down. Many other sectors including sports health etc were in the loss.
We can say that the life got shut. Before the COVID 19 many deadly viruses had also taken the
lives of millions of people around the world. Lets talk about the polio virus. This is one of the
deadliest virus in history of human life.
When this virus enters a human body, that human being will not be able to stand or walk. We can
imagine that how much it is painful for a human being when he sees other persons walking and
running but he himself could not even stand on his feet. Similarly more than 100 years back
today, the spanish flu had also taken the lives of many people. The ebola virus had also brought
many bad affects on human life.
The polio virus has just finished from the world because of polio vaccine, but there are only 2
countries where this deadly virus still exist, PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN. The reason is
that majority of the people in these countries don't like the polio vaccine.
They say that this vaccine is harmful for human body, however that's not true, because this
vaccine has just eliminated the virus from all over the world but people in Pakistan and
Afghanistan consider it as their enemy.
In Pakistan, many people are getting into the polio virus daily because they denied the vaccine.
The government of PAKISTAN is also taking great steps to create awareness among people
about polio virus and it's vaccine but people in Pakistan are not taking it seriously.
That is why this virus is getting eliminated from Pakistan. The dengue virus is also one of the
deadliest virus in human history. Millions of people all over the world died daily due to dengue
virus. Similarly congo virus is also taking human lives.
But the technology has always helped the human kind to fight against these deadly viruses and
diseases.

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As i explained above that vaccine of every virus is developed with the help of technology. Many
new medicines to counter these viruses is developed through technology. The technology has
also helped us in planting new medicine and vaccine factories, which is also a source of
employment for millions of people all over the world.
Every vaccine is checked properly through technology and released in the market with the
approval of BIG health organizations, but many people around the world just deny the vaccines.
During the current pandemic people around the world also believed in rumors regarding the
Corona virus vaccine and denied the vaccine. However, the Covid 19 vaccine is checked
properly through latest technology and it is declared safe for all by WHO.
How technology helped us to counter diseases and viruses? Technology is just gaining it's
importance day by day in every field, especially it has played an important role in the health
sector. it has provided new ideas to counter the viruses and diseases. Many new companies are
investing billions in technology for countering the viruses and diseases around the world.
There are many new and old viruses in every part of the world right now and the technologies
like artificial intelligence disease checker, thermal guns, thermometers, vaccines designed with
technology, are helping really much to counter out these viruses.
The importance of technology to counter out viruses and diseases cannot be neglected. During
the current pandemic, covid patients are detected on the airports with help of virus detector
monitors. Similarly thermal guns are used to check the temperature in schools, offices and other
places. The technology has gained much importance in the health sector.

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1.4 Theories
The global pandemic of Covid-19 has successfully changed the world. Causing massive outbreak
to almost 213 countries, this new disease has created universal crisis since its first out coming on
November 2019. Around 9 million people are claimed to be infected by severe acute respiratory
syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the infective agent of Covid-19. This virus largely
spread from person to person through direct contact by catching the droplets of infected person
which contain the virus. As the result, many attempts are taken by the leader of the contaminated
country and district in order to decrease the case. They started to lockdown their area as the first
case found, having their people to do self-quarantine at home. Regular activities such as working
and learning should be conducted at home as public places and facilities are temporary closed.
The lockdown has brought impactful effect to human life as it created a great transition in daily
routine. Most of the occupation should be conducted remote in order to keep everything runs
well during this pandemic. The utilization of technology becomes the main option to be used in
order to stay connected to the work. The majority of companies and organizations shift their plan
such as meeting and presentation to virtual landscape. They have to find backup strategy to
maintain the stability of company flow. Rearranging the schedule and modifying the project are
the other things that they have to consider. On the other hand, according to Jakarta Post on the
recent survey by Redseer, a management of consulting company, Indonesia’s e-commerce
income is sky-rocketed for about 50% to reach US$35 billion in 2020 as the cause of new
consumer growth during Covid-19 pandemic. It also affected by the fact that goods producer
such as entrepreneur allocate their selling into online shopping based as the attempt to lessen the
spread of the virus. By shopping through online platform, the seller and the buyer do not need to
do face to face transaction. However, customer have to make their order through e-commerce
such as Shopee, Lazada, and Tokopedia which will be processed and delivered via post.
Additionally, the similar thing happen in education sector in which both teacher and students
have to conduct online based learning. The Ministry of Education and Culture asks educational
organization especially school and university to suspend offline class and adapt e-learning during
Covid-19, as stated in its circular letter no. 4/2020. The teaching and learning activities should be
done virtually using group chat or video conference. After that, exercises such as task and test
are given and submitted through online media. Under those circumstances, some innovation are
made to modify digital platform into the media for online teaching and learning. Chatting and
video call application are used to conduct discussion and presentation to provide materials for
students. Social media such as Instagram, Youtube and Twitter are utilized as the media for
students to upload their tasks. Hence, teachers are required to be creative in using the available
digital platform to create meaningful and interesting online learning for students.
On the other hand, the utilization of technology is also important for healthcare system. Using
sophisticated technology which is based on medical approach, scientist try to find the vaccine of
Covid19. Technological application are developed to find the pattern of the virus and test the
possible cure before being produced massively. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also involved in
tracking the victims of Covid-19. A group of scientist based in China, The Novel Coronavirus
Pneumonia Emergency Response Epidemiology Team (NCPERT), develop and expand Artificial

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Intelligence (AI) in lung scan to have extensive analysis of corona virus. The AI is able to detect
the characteristic of corona virus inside someone’s lung by screening the image from CT-scan.
Then the data are transferred to the computer which is automatically processed and shows
diagnose of the detected victims. In addition, we can also find the utilization of AI in medical
device. Many kinds of robots also operated to help the doctor and nurse as one used in Pertamina
Jaya Hospital. Food and medicine are distributed to the patient by the autonomous droid named
Amy. While a chatbot called Temi is arranged to help nurse doing medical control to patient.
Another kind of automaton such as cleaning robot which is allowed to spray the disinfectant and
swab medical tools is also under proposal to be used in hospital.
Overall, digital platform raises its popularity since it comes as basic demand during this hard
time. As we can see in the status quo, before Covid-19 most of people give less attention to
technology. Compared to people who rarely touch digital items as they do not need it for their
basic purposes, only some professions and experts who work using digital platform such as
programmer, graphic designer and application developer are familiar to the technological trend
and changing. People like teachers, nurses, or doctors, for instances, only use some common and
general platform such as online messenger and social media without having more exploration
about other kinds of useful technology. Hence, it is the best time to introduce technology broadly
to all people from any background, building awareness to the urgency of digital literacy. It is
obvious that digitalization promote a long-term effect to our lives, having people to be more
versatile to the importance of digital understanding.

Seeing from education side, teacher and students are prepared to the implementation of blended
class which combines offline and online learning. This kind of learning is proven effectively in
increasing students’ ability and achievements. Hence, by having the prior knowledge in
navigating educational based application and online class management, both teachers and
students are ready for blended learning. On the other hand, the continuous usage of AI in
healthcare system can help medical agent in preparing and providing powerful health care. It also
useful to shorten the time in giving service to the patient, having doctors and nurses to do their
job more efficiently. Moreover, digital media takes us to the flexibility in accessing larger
network. Communicating, shopping, learning, working and other basic activities can be
completed easily at once by manipulating technology. As the result, people drive to find out and
learn more about how technology works in providing human needs, being more up to date with
the latest news of digital improvement. Thus, we will get used to use digital stuff and technology
especially in fulfilling our daily basis.
Furthermore, there will be more idea developed to create transformation in technology. The more
advanced innovation are established as the authentic solution, especially for the phenomenal
issues such as Covid-19. Consequently, in the future, technological progress and breakthrough
covers for almost any field, adjusting the conventional one. We will live in the world where
technology and digital access coming as our demand to simplify our work. AI and other
computer systems will be used in many sectors to assist varying human task. However, by the
awareness of technology built as the result of Covid-19 we will also know how to survive in the

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digital revolution era, having deeper understanding on what should be anticipated in facing the
digitization. At last, we have been prepared for futuristic life.
To conclude, the development of technology amazingly improved by the effect of Covid-19.
People are enlightened to the update information of technology and have better access to digital
media. The shared exposure of digital use have us to be more sensitive and mindful to the
importance of technology and how its changes affect our way of living. Furthermore, the
evolvement in inventing brand-new creation in technology becomes trend among digital
developer in order to solve the problems caused by Covid19. However, the finding gives long-
term use as it still can be developed and utilized after this pandemic end. Hence, at the end of the
day, people are adapted to the technology used in daily life.

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1.5 Government Guidelines

WHO guidelines towards the outbreak

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Most people infected with the virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and
recover without requiring special treatment. However, some will become seriously ill and require
medical attention. Older people and those with underlying medical conditions like cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, or cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.
Anyone can get sick with COVID-19 and become seriously ill or die at any age.

The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the disease
and how the virus spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by staying at least 1 metre
apart from others, wearing a properly fitted mask, and washing your hands or using an alcohol-
based rub frequently. Get vaccinated when it’s your turn and follow local guidance.

The virus can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they
cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe. These particles range from larger respiratory droplets to
smaller aerosols. It is important to practice respiratory etiquette, for example by coughing into a
flexed elbow, and to stay home and self-isolate until you recover if you feel unwell.

Stay informed:
 Advice for the public
 Myth busters
 Questions and answers
 Situation reports
 All information on the COVID-19 outbreak

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1.6 Status with reference to India
The COVID-19 pandemic forced people to adopt internet and internet-based services to
communicate, interact, and perform their official duties from home. It also brought a noticeable
surge in the time people spent in watching content on various OTT platforms like Netflix,
Amazon Prime and Hotstar etc.
 With the help of the technology, we started participating in virtual meetings, work from
home became a new culture and we gradually became familiar with terms like “You are
on mute” on Zoom, MS Teams and Skype meetings.
 The situation saw people making adjustments as they dealt with issues like poor internet
connectivity, power cuts, and, of course, a spike in app usage on mobile phones.
 Like other sectors, the education sector too experienced a sea change and digital learning
became a new trend. More teachers started taking online classes and several ed-tech start-
ups like BYJU’s, Unacademy, upGrad, Vedantu flourished.

On March 24, the day when the COVID-induced national lockdown turns one year old, as I take
a trip down the memory lanes, I realise how technology has played a pivotal role in our lives in
the past one year.Before the first outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in China’s Wuhan, no one
really knew that a deadly virus would drastically impact millions of lives across the globe and
lead to an inevitable surge of various digital technologies.

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Having confined ourselves to the four walls of our home after the Prime Minister announced a

21-day national lockdown to break the chain of Covid-19 infections with a greater emphasis on

social distancing measures last year, we all had a gloomy and apocalyptic vision of the future

which looked uncertain.

With the help of the technology, we started participating in virtual meetings, work from home

became a new culture and we gradually became familiar with terms like “You are on mute” on

Zoom, MS Teams and Skype meetings.

However, this increased dependence on technology also led to unwanted stress as people were

slowly getting used to the “new normal” as against the purported comfort of the conventional

work from office culture.

The situation saw people making adjustments as they dealt with issues like poor internet

connectivity, power cuts, and, of course, a spike in app usage on mobile phones.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced people to adopt internet and internet-based services to

communicate, interact, and perform their official duties from home. It also brought a noticeable

surge in the time people spent in watching content on various OTT platforms like Netflix,

Amazon Prime and Hotstar etc. This was obvious as more and more people relied on these OTT

platforms for recreation after a hectic day.

Like other sectors, the education sector too experienced a sea change and digital learning became

a new trend. More teachers started taking online classes and several ed-tech start-ups like

BYJU’s, Unacademy, upGrad, Vedantu flourished.

Students as their parents were encouraged to adopt the online mode of education and they soon

became familiar with Zoom video calls for receiving normal lectures and attending their exams

online.

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Coming to the boom in the online gaming segment, the pandemic triggered exponential growth

in online video games as the changing work-life patterns forced many to play online video games

for relaxation.

Several video games specially designed for children became hugely popular during these times,

possibly due to lack of physical activity and the void created by the pandemic.

The pandemic had a severe impact on human relationships since due to reduced physical

contacts, people relied heavily on tech-fuelled diversions to stay in touch with their family and

friends.

Contrary to the tradition of visiting each other during festivals, people contacted each other

through mobile phones and video calls, courtesy the lockdown and travel restrictions imposed

during the pandemic.

Physical interactions and social gatherings became impossible and people started utilizing

technology to socialize with their near and dear ones. Virtual pub quizzes and live streaming of

favourite sport became the new popcorn for people.

Another segment that witnessed a major boom is the online retail market, for example, online

grocery stores like Big Basket, Grofers, Biz Bazaar, Flipkart, Amazon, etc grew by leaps and

bounds during the pandemic.

Millions of families across the country chose to order groceries via online apps rather than

visiting the nearby shops during the lockdown restrictions which further points to the role that

the technology played during the pandemic.

Big tech companies like Apple and Samsung resorted to online events for the launch, promotion,

and sale of their flagship products and conducted webinars on Zoom calls and Google Meet.

Even the banking sector was not untouched due to the pandemic and banks had to re-strategize to

adapt to the new normal and brought in several online services for the customers.

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Looking at the health sector, online yoga and fitness sessions became very popular due to apps

like Cure.fit and Fittr which brought in live workout sessions which helped fitness freaks to

pursue their passion even during the lockdown. A lot of people purchased fitness equipment to

exercise at home with the help of technology.

As it is said that there are two faces of the coin, technology too can be an open-ended sword as

we came across several instances of cybersecurity breaches during the pandemic.

In the name of various sale offers made by the e-commerce platforms, hackers lured users by

creating spurious links and there were phishing attacks that created a mess for these e-commerce

companies.

While there is no doubt that technology has become an integral part of our daily lives during the

pandemic, it can be a boon if used wisely. But, at the same time, we need to understand that too

much dependence on technology can also have a catastrophic impact on our health and general

well-being.

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1.7 Status with reference to World
Governments need to make full use of digital technologies to confront the COVID-19 pandemic
and address a wide range of pandemic-related issues according to another new policy brief issued
today by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The pandemic is compelling governments and societies to turn toward digital technologies to
respond to the crisis and, increasingly, is requiring governments to adopt an open government
approach and to use digi-tal communication channels to provide reliable infor-mation on global
and national COVID-19 developments.

With lockdowns and other social distancing measures in effect in many countries, and with more
people relying on the internet for information and advice, gov-ernments are being urged to
deploy effective digital technolo-gies to contain the outbreak.

According to the brief, a review of the national portals of the 193 United Nations Member States
showed that by 25 March 2020, 57 per cent (110 countries) had posted some kind of information
on COVID-19, while around 43 per cent (83 countries) had not. But by 8 April 2020, around 86
per cent (167 countries) have included information and guidance about COVID-19 in their
portals.

Government information has focused on information about the outbreak, travel restrictions,
practical guidance on protection, and governmental response. Governments, as the first custodian
of data re-lated to COVID-19, have also started publishing sta-tistics that include the total
number of cases in a country, total fatalities, as well reporting of cases by jurisdictions.

Governments have also designed new apps and services to help in the fight against COVID-19,
to facilitate services such as delivering food and other essential items to those most in need by
optimizing the entire supply chain via digital government services. Some Member States
re-corded an increase in the usage of online services such as digital ID and digital signature, due
to the spikes in appli-cations for unemployment and other social benefits.

Some countries, balancing health imperatives and privacy concerns, have found that digital
applications can help trace and test people who have come into contact with an infected person.

According to the policy brief, governments, often lacking the financial and human re-source
capabilities to quickly and efficiently develop digi-tal tools that can support people during a
crisis situation, should build partnerships with private technology companies, social
entrepreneurs or other national and in-ternational organizations to make use of existing
technologies to meet the needs of people and soften the impact of the cri-sis on their lives.

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“Policymakers should seize the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to establish tailor-made
digital government tools, strategies and collaborations for the future,” the brief states. “The
cri-sis has demonstrated that it is impossible for societies to ignore technological advancements
as they are continuing to change business models and people’s everyday lives. Governments
should embrace these policy- and techno-logical developments and harvest the digital
opportuni-ties that can support the long-term sustainable develop­ment of their countries.”

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1.8 Drawbacks

17 Disadvantages of Digital (Technology)

Disadvantages of Digital Technology , Digital technology has changed contemporary life with
gadgets like notebooks, tablet computers, and smartphones today commonly owned.
In addition to bringing advantages, electronic technology has also purchased many drawbacks.
Digital technology has revolutionized virtually every aspect of people’s lives lately.
Office work, shopping, music, videos, tv, photography, travel, transportation, and long-distance
communications are only some places that were transformed.
In reality, it is fair to state that it has become increasingly rare to discover any digital devices or
big machinery that does not integrate digital technologies in some manner.
Digital technology frequently means that devices have generally become much smaller, lighter,
faster, and more flexible than they were.
Additionally, it usually means that enormous amounts of data can be saved locally or remotely
and transferred from place to place almost immediately.
Even the expression”data” has expanded to incorporate photographs, sound, video, and other
websites, instead of just numbers and letters.

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The info can be a lot more easily manipulated also : photographs, music, and videos can be
edited, for example.
But, there are drawbacks to electronic technologies also.
Seventeen of those downsides are given below.
17 Digital Technology Disadvantages
1. Data Security
2. Crime and Terrorism
3. Complexity
4. Privacy Concerns
5. Social Disconnect
6. Work Overload
7. Digital Media Manipulation
8. Job Insecurity
9. Plagiarism and Copyright
10. Anonymity and Fake Personas
11. Over-reliance on Gadgets
12. Addiction
13. Second-hand Living
14. Organization and Storage
15. Depersonalized Warfare
16. Longevity
17. Social Depersonalization
1- Data Security Disadvantages in Technology

Digital technology ensures that enormous amounts of information could be accumulated and
saved.
This is sometimes private information regarding organizations or individuals.
It can be quite tricky to keep this information secure.

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Only a single breach can mean huge sums of personal information entering the hands of
terrorists, terrorists, company competitions, foreign adversaries, or alternative malign entities
2- Crime and Terrorism Disadvantages in Technology
The worldwide web is fertile land for malevolent forces to function,
as a result of its global character, enormous scale, and also the relative anonymity that consumers
may enjoy.
Examples of such include: terrorists employing social media to market themselves and promote
others;
drug traders employing the darknet to exchange; pedophiles using chat rooms as well as
other areas to groom prospective sufferers,
trade photographs, videos, and other info; and authoritarian regimes trying to influence or distort
elections in democratic nations.
We’ve turned into a people unable to understand the technology we devise.
3- Complexity Disadvantages in Technology
We no longer know the workings of these machines and devices which we interact with daily.
Repairing a contemporary automobile today means interacting with a computer, it’s not just
mechanical.
Employing a phone can entail handling all kinds of complex settings.
Minor glitches at the operations of a notebook can cost both time and cost.
4- Privacy Concerns Disadvantages in Technology
It has become much more difficult to own privacy in the electronic world and that is in addition
to the risks of your personal information being stolen or sold.
As an example, everybody gets the capability to shoot photos and video footage on their cell
phone, then place it on the internet.
Employers can look for individuals on the internet and possibly find unflattering photos,
Or view them expressing controversial remarks in social networking or sites.
Digital cameras see and record our moves in public areas.
Minor indiscretions are now able to infect someone for life when they are posted online.
Assessing your personal information is extremely hard and at times impossible.

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5- Social Disconnect Disadvantages in Technology

There’s a growing trend for people to interact and communicate via electronic devices instead of
via real-life contact.
This can easily result in a feeling of isolation and disconnect.
Human beings have developed over thousands of years to have actual contact,
taking away that impacts them in all kinds of negative ways we only just starting to comprehend.
Studies have indicated that the absence of actual life touch is causing depression and other kinds
of mental disease in a lot of men and women.
There are a variety of psychological studies indicating that the electronic world is causing a
heightened risk of mental disease.
Examples include reliance on interpersonal websites for touch, online bullying, and perform
pressure through data overload.
6- Work Overload Disadvantages in Technology
Many contemporary employees spend their days trying to keep up with the countless emails
which they’re sent every week,
all of which need reading and some of which need answers or actions.
Texts from coworkers in the evenings or on the weekend may indicate that individuals never
completely escape function.
Organizing the huge number of digital information obtained in certain tasks, like the minutes of
meetings, instruction videos, photos, reports, and directions may also be a massive hassle.
7- Digital Media Manipulation

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Digital media such as photos, sound, and video are simple to edit, which makes the manipulation
of websites prevalent.
It is not always easy to tell what’s real and what’s imitation anymore.
Pictures can be changed using editing programs like Photoshop.
Digital sound and video could be doctored.
8- Job Insecurity
It was that you needed to be physically present in a workplace to perform a project, but many
work tasks are done remotely through the net.
That usually means a Third World employee in a low wage economy can undercut you and
choose your work.
Increasingly, humans are not required at all for several jobs, as computers slowly replace them.
Driving and delivery tasks, for example, will vanish soon as automobiles become automatic.
9- Plagiarism and Copyright
Digital media is unexpectedly simple to replicate and reproduce.
Copyright laws are increasingly difficult to apply since the music and film industries have found
to their cost.
School children can copy and paste their assignments jobs without actually learning anything.
A civilization of “sharing” on interpersonal websites means that frequently the first founder of a
piece of media is abandoned since the piece is accommodated and maintained by other people.
10- Anonymity and Fake Personas
Digital technology offers a wide range for users to conceal their identities.
Studies indicate that individuals are considerably more inclined to act anti-socially in case they
don’t feel that there’ll be any impacts.

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Bullying, trolling, stalking, threatening, and insulting behavior have increased dramatically with
the development of the web.
People today assume imitation personas for the aims of scamming and defrauding.
Pedophiles use bogus personas to acquire access and Teach kids.
11- Over-reliance on Gadgets
Reliance on cellular phones, computers, and other electronic gadgets is becoming commonplace.
A lot of individuals have their contact information, photos, texts, along with other private details
on their telephones.
Should they lose their even the gadget breaks or runs out of electricity, then they’re in trouble.
Standard living skills, such as locating the way around the roads of a city, have been substituted
by taking instructions from a GPS.
Computer gambling addiction can cause numerous problems for consumers caught up inside.
Consequences include negative impacts on social life, financing, academic accomplishment,
sleep routines, in addition to psychological and health issues.
12- Addiction
Social networking, computer games, computer games, messaging, and related sites can be
addictive.
Games need one to play so you will purchase the next edition.
Sites would like you to socialize so that they can earn advertising money.
Users wind up wasting huge amounts of time and Earning cash for return.
13- Second-hand Living
A lot of individuals no longer encounter real-life events right.
Music concerts or live displays are videoed on cellular telephones, events are photographed,
music is listed.
Media is uploaded onto social websites.
Life becomes a thing that’s experienced through the prism of electronic media instead of it
firsthand.
Tech [is] the knack of so arranging the world that we do not need to encounter it.
14- Organization and Storage
Digital media can be quite tough to organize. Pictures and audio,

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for example, can be found on many devices, including cellular phones, tablet computers,
notebooks, and mobile hard drives.
Individual items can be tough to locate, simple to inadvertently delete
Or lose, along with the apparatus they’re saved on could be lost, stolen, or even suffer
catastrophic malfunction.
Digital media can be tricky to store and maintain long term.
Document formats change over time.
In some cases, conventional media can last more than their electronic equivalent.
15- Depersonalized Warfare

Digital technology ensures that weapons could be deployed anywhere in the world with no
authentic human army presence. Drones turn war into a pc game.
Intercontinental missiles follow roads and landmarks in foreign nations remotely.
Satellites monitor enemy pushes via photos and videos taken in distance.
16- Longevity
Digital gadgets normally have a brief lifespan and be primitive comparatively fast.
Since the technology advances at a speed, machines and devices quickly become unusable since
they’re now viewed as too slow,
Or incompatible with other apparatus, or they’ve only been superseded by newer, better versions.
This produces enormous waste and inefficiency,
as old electronics are discarded when no longer useful.

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Additionally, it may become quite expensive for users whenever you need to update every
couple of years to some other device.
A lot of life’s activities are now able to occur without leaving the house.
The disadvantage to this is that society has become increasingly depersonalized.
17- Social Alienation
Society has become more and more impartial as digitized machines substitute people.
Folks shop online, do their banking online, pay invoices online, and progressively operate online.
Transportation can be set to become automatic, which will finally lead to taxis and delivery
vehicles getting driver free.
Loneliness and too little human contact with a flesh and blood individual are becoming more and
more common.

REFERENCES:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/
3. https://www.linkedin.com/
4. https://www.who.int/
5. https://www.tech.gov.sg/
6. https://laurelhs.org/

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