The new normal may not be virtual, but it’s certainly a lot less corporeal.
The world has been rocked off its axis this year due to Coronavirus snd the social upheaval is huge, and life-changing for many.
Millions of people have been forced to work from home, relying on digital links and services to do their jobs. Millions more have switched to online grocery shopping. And for those who can still afford to indulge the “high street”, that too is online.
And how about the explosion in Netflix subscribers, or the fortunate timing of Disney’s streaming service. Or Zoom quizzes and TikTok dances. The world has been fully digitised for a decade or more, but 2020 is when we really became “digital-first” as a population.
Banking, travel (what’s left of it), shopping, music, cinema, leisure, fashion, booze, communications, dinner for two – it all comes via a digital pipe and delivered directly to you with no waiting, no middleman, and zero friction.
Those who were forced to work at home two months ago may now wish not to be forced back onto rush-hour trains, tubes, and motorways. Folks who now shop online as a need, may be less likely to wander it high street shops, assuming that enough of them survive. The change in behaviour is profound.
Once one appreciates the frictionless nature of digital, you’re not going to return to the old world. This is good for digital folks, this is good for organisations that have embraced “digital-first”. However, the digital blitzkrieg that started in March has left its destructive mark across the population, businesses, and countries.
