These changes have come across most organizations, whether in business, society, or government. Employees are adjusting to new "normals” - with meetings going completely online, office work shifting to the home, with new emerging patterns of work. The lockdowns across countries have entailed a rise in the use of information systems and networks, with massive changes in usage patterns and usage behaviour. Cities like Bangalore have seen a 100 % increase in internet traffic. Video-conferencing services like Zoom have seen a ten times increase in usage, and content delivery services like Akamai have seen a 30 % increase in content usage ( Branscombe, 2020). Internet services have seen rises in usage from 40 % to 100 %, compared to pre-lockdown levels. The lockdown has resulted in most people taking to the internet and internet-based services to communicate, interact, and continue with their job responsibilities from home. With the spread of the pandemic, almost all regions have implemented lockdowns, shutting down activities that require human gathering and interactions - including colleges, schools, malls, temples, offices, airports, and railway stations. This included most urban clusters and even rural regions.
Aspects of surveillance and privacy gain importance with increased digital usage.īy late May 2020, at the time of writing of this article, over 200 countries and territories in the world were affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Digital money, too, assumes importance in crisis situations and research will address their adoption, consequences, and mode. A key research issue will also be the impact and consequences of internet shutdowns, frequently resorted to by countries. Further, the issues of net neutrality and zero-rating plans will merit scrutiny. Research may address the consequences and causes of the digital divide.
The regulation of the internet, a key resource, will be crucial post-pandemic.
Online fraud is likely to grow, along with research on managing security. Workplace monitoring and technostress issues will become prominent with an increase in digital presence. Gig workers and the gig economy is likely to increase in scale, raising questions of work allocation, collaboration, motivation, and aspects of work overload and presenteeism. Blockchain technology will become important and will entail research on design and regulations. We explore possible scenarios of the digital surge and the research issues that arise.Īn increase in digitalization is leading firms and educational institutions to shift to work-from-home (WFH).
People and organizations all over the world have had to adjust to new ways of work and life. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an inevitable surge in the use of digital technologies due to the social distancing norms and nationwide lockdowns.
0 kommentar(er)
