When the pandemic hit and the lockdowns began, many aspects of everyday life moved out the physical and into the digital realm. The shift online had already begun long ago, but being trapped indoors accelerated this move. Now, with a vaccine on the way and a hope for an end to come sooner rather than later, there is a question to be asked about the future. How much of what moved online will stay online in the days to come?
Education
Many colleges and postgraduate programs were already offering online courses long before the pandemic hit. Now, you can do everything from high school to online music lessons Elizabeth NJ. Hopefully schools will re-open soon, but online options are likely to stay.
Shopping
A lot of shopping was already happening online, but when the actual stores are closed, people had no other choice. This also generated a lot of work for shipping facilities and postal services.
Jobs
Perhaps the most obvious way that life moved online was with work. Many people were forced to work remotely, and many companies quickly learned that despite the challenges, there were decided benefits. For some industries, it’s cheaper to have employees work remotely, and for those industries it’s hard to imagine that they will ever move back into office buildings.
Of course there is no way to say for certain what the future holds. Doubtless many people will be eager to get out and may appreciate certain activities more than they did before. That said, it isn’t at all clear that there will be a sudden or even a permanent end to the pandemic. It is likely that there will be future outbreaks, if not of coronavirus, then of some other virus just as bad or worse. Either way, it is clear that our digital lives will continue to play an important role going forward.