When will we ever see the end of this pandemic? It already costs a lot of assets, business and worst – life. But when that time comes, it’s a certainty that technology is more than ready to do its share of help – to make our lives more comfortable, fun and advanced.
We don’t see the future but it is fun calculating what can happen next! So, here’s our crystal ball saying – these are the trends in technology after the pandemic:
VIRTUAL FITNESS AND GYMS
As per cbninsights.com, the $96.6B fitness industry has not been immune to disruption from the Covid-19 outbreak. This was in rapid growth prior to the crisis but that growth came to a halt in the wake of the pandemic.
As the pandemic went on, this industry learned to adjust. A certain number of fitness center and gyms launched its own video platform alongside the existing video streaming apps like Zoom, Google Meet, Instagram Live, etc.
At the same time, brands that were already virtual-first have seen dramatic increases in adoption during the crisis, noted cbninsights.com. Sales of some interactive at-home fitness brands are increasing dramatically. Not to forget are factors of convenience and the lower prices of digital classes compared to those in studios.
But of course, nothing matches the routine and sweat of physically going to the gym. According to cbninsights.com – accountability, access to higher-level equipment, personalized instruction and greater levels of personal achievement are reasons why the in-person fitness is still more attractive to fitness buffs compare to virtual sessions.
Thus, the synthesis of this options because of the mentioned scenario – a hybrid model of at-home and in-person workouts. Best of both worlds. The convenience and the relatively lower cost of online sessions mixing with the real-deal-routine inside a physical gym.
TOUCHLESS TECHNOLOGIES AND HIGHLY AUTOMATED ROBOTS
Post pandemic, we already have the mastery of not touching anything doubtful. According to forbes.com, new devices and technologies will be designed with touchless-first or minimal-human-intervention principles. Airports’ self-service check-in where passengers create a digital token on their smartphone that can verify their identity is a demonstration of this development.
Noted forbes.com, it is also likely that we will see additional robotic automation and AI in supply chains, customer service and beyond. This might be a bane for humans in terms of employment and personal services. But similar to other evolution and technological leap, we will adjust and adopt to these changes.
“REAL WORLD” GOES ONLINE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY AND VIRTUAL EVENTS
The most logical eventualities, when pandemic ends, is to go back watching live concerts, games and other events. But with the comfort and safety of watching and experiencing them online can somehow influence people even after the pandemic.
The Olympics, famous celebrities and performers and other events that were once almost exclusive to in-person affair are now recognizing virtual simulations. And even after the pandemic, this option will continue to exist. Event organizers are thinking more ambitiously about how to hold large scale events, as mentioned by cbninisghts.com. Events that may have once seemed improbable or even impossible to hold online are becoming commonplace and will likely continue, it added.
With the advent of faster internet connections, the possibilities are endless.
Vladimir Lenin, a Russian revolutionary, politician and a political theorist was quoted saying, “There are decades where nothing happens. And there are weeks where decades happen”. It is a challenging time since this pandemic started but forbes.com is hopeful, saying that there is light at the end of this long coronavirus tunnel. In his new book “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World,” Fareed Zakaria mentioned that life after the pandemic “is going to be, in many aspects, a sped-up version of the world we knew.” Ready or not, we need to adjust.
Mitsloan.mit.edu agreed, saying that information technology groups pivoted nearly overnight. That the moment was not just an exercise in fast-tracking technology deployments, it was also a test of companies’ ability to embrace new forms of business engagement and interaction.
This digital and technological transformation impacted businesses across industries, according to hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu. And these transformations will likely be here to last.
Sources:
https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/industries-tech-shaping-world-post-covid/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/01/25/the-new-normal-and-the-future-of-technology-after-the-covid-19-pandemic/?sh=eb154fc6bbb3
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/digital-transformation-after-pandemic
https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/what-next-digital-transformation