It’s hard to believe that we’re in week eight of lockdown. So much of what felt ‘unfamiliar’ about being in this unusual situation has started to feel more familiar as we adjust our home and work lives in these unprecedented times. This week we take a closer look at technology in its broadest sense. It’s hard to deny the fact that technology has been a saving grace for so many people and businesses in lockdown so, coming from an already powerful position, what will COVID-19 do for the tech world once we emerge?
This week we heard Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, announce the launch of the Test, Track and Trace programme; a new app being trialled on the Isle of Wight that will allow the NHS to track who someone has been in contact with after testing positive for COVID-19. It’s another example of the way in which technology and the digital community have rallied to innovate tools designed to monitor the spread of COVID-19 and facilitate better treatments.
The Daily Telegraph ran a fascinating article this week in which it said that “Big Tech is likely to emerge from the pandemic richer, more powerful and more dominant than ever.” They featured a quote from Eric Schmidt, the long-serving former Google boss, who said that coronavirus should make us more “grateful” to tech giants adding: “imagine having the same reality of this pandemic without these tools…The benefit of these corporations, which we love to malign… is profound and I hope people will remember that when this thing is finally over.” Time will certainly tell…
