These are extraordinary times in need! Who knew that a day would come when it would be a mandatory requirement to wear mask in public spaces? In the spread of the novel coronavirus, our hygiene practices are bound to change, and of course in a good way. Just remember it’s unhygienic to reuse masks, as you expose yourself to more potential risks, and also its quite unpleasant to walk around in dirty masks. Personally, I think it’s a practice that we will all need to get used to. But it’s not just our hygiene practices, but our interactions in social spheres and governments dealings are bound to change.
Currently in Wuhan, Hubei Province China, the epicenter of the virus life is beginning to get back to normal and technology is taking a front line in enabling social interactions. The Chinese government-sanctioned a phone app that measures resident’s contagion risk. The app shares your personal data, such as routine body temperature readings, medical history, travel movements amongst others with the aim of informing the government whether a person is a contagion risk and need to be quarantined. And China is not alone is tapping into the vast technological landscape to enable human interactions. In other places, we have seen drones walking dogs, and in Ghana drones are largely used to deliver drugs in hard to reach places.
Right now virtual meetings have taken center stage in ensuring continuity of productive work while at home. While virtual meetings require several personal and technological adjustments, once in place many companies both small and large will now seriously take it up as an organizational practice.
In countries like Sweden, citizens inserting microchips the size of a grain of rice into the skin just above each user's thumb. The chips are designed to speed up users' daily routines and make their lives more convenient by consolidating information into one single source. As such one gets to access their homes, offices and gyms easily by swiping their hands against digital readers. The chips can be used to store emergency contact details, social media profiles or e-tickets for events and rail journeys within Sweden.
According to Jowan Osterlund, a former professional body piercer, and founder of Biohax International, the leading provider of microchips in Sweden, using the chips means that the hyper-connected surroundings that you live in every day can be streamlined. In the wake of coronavirus, such are the new adaptations that we are bound to embrace in future.
Apart from technology, our culture is also bound to change. We are soon to start embracing intimate and cost-effective cultural ceremonies. Events like burials that used to attract thousands of people will only be reduced to close family and friends. Just the other day, a friend posted how the family only spent fifteen thousand shillings for a burial. The breakdown included eight thousand for the casket, five thousand for transportation, and two thousand for snacks for those who attended the burial. And to him, its amazing how the budget gave their loved one a very decent send off. And soon such will be imitated in weddings, graduations, amongst others. More changes will be witnessed, from homes, to schooling and even social gatherings and some will be permanent. Change is inevitable. And the rigid and insecure who won’t embrace it are bound to suffer.
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