Technology in a Global Pandemic

         Over the course of the past year, technology has become vital to our society. Due to the global pandemic, physically communicating with peers has been tough. One major way that people are able to keep their special bonds is through social media and technology. There are apps and programs on our phones and computers that allow us to stay connected with our friends and family. In most cases, we can hear them speak, and sometimes even see them! Facetime, Zoom, Snapchat, Instagram, and basic call and text are some technology programs that have been very useful in these tough times. Technology was used for basic communication even before the pandemic. Now, it has evolved to a whole new level. Today, technology has many other functions including, remote learning, online shopping, contactless payments, telehealth, and more. 

Education    

Education is fully remote in most places. Many schools have switched over and adapted to applications such as Zoom or Google Meet. Businesses and families have also utilized these applications as a platform to hold group meetings and important discussions. Both Zoom and Google Meet have become very popular over the past year. “Zoom's most recent figures suggest the platform has 300 million daily meeting participants, compared to just 10 million in December 2019. Google Meet's figures hover around 100 million participants logging into meetings every day.” (Hughes) For online schools, these programs allow the students to virtually meet with their teachers and classmates. It gives classes the ability to discuss topics and learn as if they were physically in the classroom. There is a camera and microphone feature for every person using the application. Features like these help with student engagement and it’s nice to see familiar faces and hear peers' voices. Online school is certainly different than physically being in the building. Self-motivation can be an issue for students, as well as limited access to technology, or endless wifi issues. As we all know, technology isn’t perfect, but it’s still pretty impressive that we’re able to see each other and communicate in big groups through a screen. 

Screenshot of Zoom on my iPhone

Contactless Payments

 Due to the hassle and high exposure to the coronavirus in places like grocery stores, malls, and restaurants, many people have made the switch to online shopping and contactless payments. Some grocery stores have given their customers the ability to order their groceries online and have them ready to be picked up whenever is convenient for them. Locally, Shaw’s, Hannafords, and Walmart all offer this feature. The same feature is available in most retail stores. Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, Target, American Eagle, and Nike to name a few. Amazon is another online company that has really expanded throughout the global pandemic. Amazon is a shopping website that sells products varying from clothing to food and everything in between. Amazon delivers your order directly to your home and is fairly quick about it. In August 2020, Amazon was one of the most valuable companies in the United States. “As of Wednesday, the company is worth more than $1.7 trillion, making it the second-most valuable company in the U.S., trailing only Apple… The coronavirus pandemic has helped fuel that growth, as consumers turned to online retailers for necessities like face masks and hand sanitizer, as well as ordering groceries.” (Palmer) 

        As far as going out to eat goes, most restaurants offer pickup and some offer delivery services. Generally, a lot of fast-food restaurants have made technological advancements that allow their consumers to order online and make payments through their app. I know of a few restaurants locally that do this, including Chipotle, Starbucks, Mcdonalds, Dominoes and so many others. Another form of contactless payment is through Apple Pay. Apple Pay is a system on your iPhone that includes your credit card information and security details. “When you use Apple Pay in stores that accept contactless payments, Apple Pay uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology between your device and the payment terminal. NFC is an industry-standard, contactless technology that's designed to work only across short distances.” (Apple) All you need to do is open the wallet app on your phone and tap the credit card you wish to pay with. Then, hover your phone over the pin pad and the payment should go through. Apple Pay is also available when online shopping. To enable Apple Pay online, you need to use face ID or a short passcode. This advancement in technology has been very convenient during the global pandemic because it helps limit the customers' contact with surfaces that other people have touched or breathed on.

Healthcare 

 Technology has also made an insane impact on the health industry. Health care services such as telehealth make it so patients can meet with their doctors and nurses remotely. “The Health Resources Services Administration defines telehealth as the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health, and health administration. Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications.” (What is…) This is convenient for patients that are high-risk for the coronavirus, and those who don’t need emergency services or feel more comfortable having appointments from their home. Hospitals have utilized Zoom and other similar applications to meet with their patients virtually. Technology has also played a big role when accessing your coronavirus test results. When you get tested for COVID19, most places will either email, call, or upload your test results on an account online. That way, they are easily accessible to you. When attending work, school, or participating in sports, most places require some type of health screening form or daily temperature checks. In my experience, websites such as Google Forms have helped keep the data organized and in one reliable place! 

 Overall, technology is having a tremendous impact on the global pandemic, and it’s helping people in so many different aspects. Obviously, there can be some technical issues with wifi servers, data, and crashing websites, but overall the positives outweigh the negatives! 

Works Cited

"Apple Pay Security and Privacy Overview." Apple, 18 Oct. 2019, support.apple.com/en-us/HT203027#:~:text=When%20you%20use%20Apple%20Pay%20in%20stores%20that%20accept%20contactless,work%20only%20across%20short%20distances. Accessed 12 Jan. 2021.

Hughes, Owen. "Watch out Zoom: Microsoft Teams now has more than 115 million daily users." Tech Republic, 28 Oct. 2020, www.techrepublic.com/article/watch-out-zoom-microsoft-teams-now-has-more-than-115-million-daily-users/#:~:text=Zoom%20and%20Google%20Meet%20have,logging%20into%20meetings%20every%20day. Accessed 12 Jan. 2021.

Palmer, Annie. "Jeff Bezos is now worth more than $200 billion." CNBC, 26 Aug. 2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/08/26/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-worth-more-than-200-billion.html. Accessed 12 Jan. 2021.

"What is Telehealth? How is Telehealth Different from Telemedicine?" HealthIT, 17 Oct. 2019, www.healthit.gov/faq/what-telehealth-how-telehealth-different-telemedicine. Accessed 12 Jan. 2021.