Technology: Saving and Enriching Life During COVID-19

Abstract

The pandemic of COVID-19 has arrested the life of 7.8 million people living on this earth. However, some people are more vulnerable to the risk of this deadly virus. The frailty of senior citizens put them at the top of this list. The past 6 months have not only presented a threat to their physical health but to mental health also. Although lockdown was necessary to check the spread of the coronavirus it culminated in an exponential rise in the problems of loneliness, anxiety, fear, helplessness, and depression. The present paper reviews the role of social networking sites, apps, and other digital platforms in saving and enriching the lives of the elderly, especially those who spent the lockdown alone and were devoid of a regular support system due to unavailability of transport and administrative restrictions on the movement of people. It also analyzes the efficiency of the virtual world in reducing their anxiety of being alone by connecting them with others and also make them feel empowered. The review is based on the online data collected about the insurgence in the percentage of elderly people using such platforms, recent studies analyzing the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on senior citizens. Besides this personal telephonic discussions were conducted with some elderly people who spent their lockdown alone in their homes. The study was primarily focused on three objectives. Firstly it attempts to understand the ways in which senior citizens made use of social networking sites and various digital platforms for managing life better. Secondly, it analyses the process of adopting technology, and finally, it examined the width and depth of the impact technology created in their life and also the permanence of this change. The analysis clearly suggests an increase in the digital life of elderly people. The process moved in distinct stages from utter confusion to relative ease in using technology, thereby significantly reducing the loneliness, and bringing relatively stable change in the way they lead their life.

Fear of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Distancing as Factors Determining the Change in Consumer Payment Behavior at Retail and Service Outlets

“…The connections between pandemic, payments and technology is more and more visible, especially that the COVID-19 pandemic has already been perceived as the accelerator of the digital transformation [29,30]. ICT, instant messaging included, FinTech solutions and all kinds of new technologies are perceived as more useful and necessary for everyday activity [57]. Because of the pandemic people have started to use more technologies and digital solutions that were relatively or objectively new in the market (like for example a growing number of EFT-POS in Poland, which are not a new technology, but has given a possibility to pay cashless in the new way for many consumers).…”

“…The ICT is a vast area, however especially a use of instant messaging services during the pandemic, such as Whatsapp and Skype, as Sinha at al. shows [57] has significantly mitigated some of the negative effects of restrictions imposed by governments in connection with the pandemic. Not only did it help to maintain social distance and strained interpersonal relationships, but it was also used in many new institutional, formal contexts like remote firms' management, remote learning, or medical advice [58,59].…”

Technology Usage for Sustainable Health and Well-being in Ecommerce Throughout the COVID 19 Pandemic

“…Another study [12] centered in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro Oregon-Washington Metro Area found that the elderly and retired participants show increased openness to home deliveries in the pandemic, however, it is found that they are less likely to use online shopping compared to the rest of the general population. This supports the high reluctance levels found in [11]. A study by Erjavec and Manfreda [13] studied older adults and concluded that the pandemic caused the rapid adoption of digital solutions such as online shopping due to the disruption of consumers' daily lives.…”

“…In adults of more mature ages, it is found that they are more reluctant to adopt online shopping, as for them, there is a steep learning curve and adapting may be difficult for them. This is supported by a study by Sinha et al [11] which found that the elderly's most common problem in the adoption of technologies was a proper support system. Although the pandemic has driven them away from conventional methods, it is found that older adults find it easier to shop online [11].…”

“…A study [11] found that the elderly was familiar with technology, however highly reluctant to use it due to privacy and security concerns, or they are of the opinion that conventional methods are better than adopting digital solutions. The same study reported that the participants (elderly) were more inclined towards ordering groceries from local shopkeepers via the phone, whereas e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Flipkart (C2C) were utilized for the purchase of other items [11].…”