Internet and other forms of digital tech act as an unparalleled stabilizing force in unstable circumstances
The global COVID-19 pandemic served as undeniable proof for many observers around the world that modern digital technologies and systems — the internet primary among them — have the potential to be far more robust than the legacy market and social institutions, in many ways. While the high street shut down during cycles of lockdowns, e-commerce experienced a boom, and vast numbers of people from around the world spent a significant amount of their leisure time interacting with digital devices and high-tech instruments of one sort or another. Remote working — until recently a long-time taboo in many fields — took front and center place as the default mode of doing business in many sectors during the period of the pandemic. During the first week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the power of tech innovation also became apparent, as the Ukrainian government appealed to Elon Musk for use of his Starlink mobile internet system which he then provided. In addition to ensuring a continuous line of communication and contact with the outside world during this period, ongoing web access also serves as a significant counterbalance to the propaganda and information control advantage that larger and more powerful states would traditionally have had in the case of conflicts. Innovation in tech appears to be consistently serving a role as a potentially stabilizing force in otherwise unstable times.Increasing number of businesses developing a presence on new platforms
With the recent announcement by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of his company’s rebranding as Meta, came the news that the tech mogul was now working on creating a virtual reality platform to be used for a wide range of different purposes, spanning from entertainment to professional meetings. Shortly after the announcement, virtual “real estate” in the “Metaverse” was announced to be on sale, with various celebrities and influencers paying for a future presence in the new digital realm, in addition to pledging to host performances in VR. Increasingly, the trend seems to be that businesses that can capitalize on new up-and-coming platforms as quickly and effectively as possible are simultaneously the ones who are best poised to be at the forefront of the cultural moment. An increasing number of businesses have, for example, also investigated the possibilities offered by social media platforms such as TikTok. In a global market highly saturated with advertising campaigns and corporate initiatives, participation in those sorts of platforms — and engagement with forms of new tech in general — may be the factor that means some businesses have a slight edge over their competitors.