The power of technology is on trial

Everyday on a global level, there’s a revolution which is having a great impact on our lives and forcing us to make some changes in the way we do everyday things. That is why we have to be aware and value all those tools at our disposal to optimise our daily tasks, no matter if we are talking about our professional or personal lives.

One example is working remotely, a word that has been widely repeated by health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), during these last few weeks. The reason for this is telecommuting has proven to be effective to reduce the exposure and contagion by the COVID-19. Based on this, and as a result of the measurements that the Spanish Government has announced, most of the companies are encouraging telecommuting. It’s likely that this trend will remain in a post-quarantine world.

Working remotely used to be an option just for a minority – about 7,9% of Spanish -, something you would expect from a start-up. But now, a long list of companies have been forced to implement it and exploit its advantages in order to continue working and avoid closing.

When we come to think of the role that Internet is playing, one trend to highlight is the challenge that operators are facing based on the increased data usage they are undergoing. Spain ranks third globally – behind Japan and South Korea – regarding the fibre infrastructure. During the last days, more than 10 million connections have been conducted based on the increased usage of mobiles and computers. The records show that mobile use has increased on a 50%, data usage on a 25% and traffic on WhatsApp has multiplied by five during the last days.

In addition, we must take into account that there has also been an increment in the downloads of mobile apps, especially Tik Tok, Skype, Google Classroom, Zoom y Houseparty.

Apps have turned into a new media and entertainment source for all kind of users, regardless of their age or nationality and no matter if they use it to keep in touch with customers and friends or just to enjoy themselves. This unexpected and explains why we need to be aware of the way we use Internet, in order to avoid its collapse.

If we are able to go through all of this, we might achieve the digitalization of our country. We’ll then have to face other questions. Will we be able to adapt to this new reality?