Digital: The Shift to Online
Going
What made moving online during the COVID-19 Pandemic so significant?
Before
Prior to the pandemic, it was normal for some people to have hardly any online presence. Technology was a tool used in businesses, offices, schools, or even just kids wanting to play video games at home. Not many jobs allowed their workers to work from home and it was normal to have only a few hours or less of screentime a day. Meeting up in person was the normal. This all changed after March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic.
COvid-19
This disease spread across the globe and had a harsh range in severity, spanning from coughing and fatigue to pneumonia and organ failure. Covid impacted nearly every aspect of life, and brought our world to halt. Even now, we are still facing challenges and changes from the pandemic.
During
From 2020 and until 2023, the world was in a shutdown and essentially at a standstill. Many people faced numerous problems within the shutdown. These problems ranged from hospitals overflowing with those who had gotten sick to people being unable to even go to work. The sudden shift from in-person to almost everything moving online, and even large gatherings being banned, had a large impact on everyone.
After
Even after the pandemic was over, the repercussions and lingering effects are still felt today. The WHO might have declared the pandemic to have ended, but that doesn't mean everything went back to how to was before Covid. Industries and even countries are still attempting to recover economically, along with individual citizens trying to readjust to new or return to old workstyles.
Healthcare
Hospitals: Overwhelmed & Unprepared
Hospitals were commonly overfilled and understaffed. Many hospitals were facing a lack of both supplies and staff. Healthcare workers worked long hours, leaving them not only exhausted, but with high chances of contracting the disease themselves. This pressure even lead to some going into early retirement or even to leave the profession entirely.
Work/ School
Everything From Home
Going to school in-person or work was suddenly shifted into attending online from home. Numerous people struggled with finding good wifi connections or trying to complete all the digital work. For some people, the only time they could see their friends from school or work was through online class meetings. Being laid off or let go during was also a huge problem for people, as suddenly they might not have an income anymore.
Mental Health
Stuck at Home: Isolation Struggles
During the pandemic, many people faced countless struggles, especially in mental health. Being stuck inside, potentially even by yourself, for weeks with little in-person or physical meetings was difficult. Growing concern for your family and friends, and stuck with digital communication through phone or video calls. Even worries about being able to go out to buy groceries.
Technology
How Tech Connected the World
With the sudden shift to moving everything online, it caused a rapid development in technology. Online was all of a sudden where you could do everything. From Google meetings for class to shopping online from Amazon or even using a streaming service to watch a new show, the popularity for these apps and services skyrocketed.
Personal
Life Distrupted: Changes in Everything
Not many people were the same after COVID. Some people had been fired, others had lost loved ones. Struggles with physically returning to jobs and schools, or adapting to hybrid styles. Even the readjustment to being able to gather in larger groups or at family gatherings. People who had new hobbies no longer had the extra time to do them or just being used to wearing a mask outside.
New Normals
RebuildingSocial Norms
After so long, new social norms were established, such as wearing a mask out in public or now finding locations with hand sanitizer. Leaving a larger physical distance between each other or avoiding close contact was also a new normal. It was also normal for businesses to have contactless payments or deliveries are expected. Remote learning opportunities or work options are average and generally expected.
Travel
New Restrictions & Desires
Attempting traveling anywhere was a struggle for many people, after COVID. After the pandemic, countless people began to travel in order to acomplish their previously cancelled plans. People also travelled to reunite with family in other countries that they hadn't been able to see, or to return home after lifted lockdowns. Airports have now adapted to new touchless check-ins and more flexible booking systems. Mid-2022 numerous airports and hotels were being overwhelmed by record amounts of crowds.
Economy
Commerce: a New Status of Money
Following the COVID pandemic, economies around the globe were struggling. For many, inflation was at an all time high for years after. This rapid increase in prices can be attributed to several factors, including sudden elevated amounts of spending and labor shortages. Prices skyrocketed in several different areas of the economy, such as travel, food, housing, and healthcare. The largest increase was in energy, whose price more than doubled.
From 27 million to 44 million US workers were affected by the sudden shift. Not including the countless amount of college students, around 55 million students in K-12 schools were impacted as well. Globally, an estimated 1.6 billion students' lives were altered.
By the end of the pandemic, over 7 million deaths having been reported, with the World Health Organization estimating a global toll of 21-27 million losses. An estimated 80,000 - 180,000 of the deaths were healthcare workers.
Between 70- 80 million Americans were struggling finacially during COVID, with a total estimate of over 1.6 billion workers and students globally. Around the US, the average reported numbers of those experiencing loneliness increased by about 10%.
Netflix gained 15.7 million new users in the first quarter of the pandemic alone, with a total of over 221.6 million subscribers globally by end in 2022, surpasing its previous count of 167 million prior to the outbreak.
Reasoning for part of the sudden spending increases, can be credited towards the U.S. government providing stimulus money to people across the US, like the American Rescue Plan and the CARES Act, which added $5 trillion into the US economy.
During the pandemic, many countries around the globe banned or at least placed heavy restrictions on large gatherings, which lasted around 1 to 2 years. The ban only began to be lifted after vaccines began to become available, and only completely dropped mid-2022.
Globally about $389 were spent on an estimated 928 billion face masks during the pandemic. Masks had become essential during the outbreak, and even after they remain one of the most memorable symbols of COVID.
International tourism reached about 1.4 billion by 2024, recoving back to the record numbers of 2019. This was an 11% increase over 2023, and a massive change from the travel industry's collapse of more than 75% back in 2020.
Going Digital: The Shift to Online
Jordan Black
Created on November 3, 2025
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Transcript
Digital: The Shift to Online
Going
What made moving online during the COVID-19 Pandemic so significant?
Before
Prior to the pandemic, it was normal for some people to have hardly any online presence. Technology was a tool used in businesses, offices, schools, or even just kids wanting to play video games at home. Not many jobs allowed their workers to work from home and it was normal to have only a few hours or less of screentime a day. Meeting up in person was the normal. This all changed after March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic.
COvid-19
This disease spread across the globe and had a harsh range in severity, spanning from coughing and fatigue to pneumonia and organ failure. Covid impacted nearly every aspect of life, and brought our world to halt. Even now, we are still facing challenges and changes from the pandemic.
During
From 2020 and until 2023, the world was in a shutdown and essentially at a standstill. Many people faced numerous problems within the shutdown. These problems ranged from hospitals overflowing with those who had gotten sick to people being unable to even go to work. The sudden shift from in-person to almost everything moving online, and even large gatherings being banned, had a large impact on everyone.
After
Even after the pandemic was over, the repercussions and lingering effects are still felt today. The WHO might have declared the pandemic to have ended, but that doesn't mean everything went back to how to was before Covid. Industries and even countries are still attempting to recover economically, along with individual citizens trying to readjust to new or return to old workstyles.
Healthcare
Hospitals: Overwhelmed & Unprepared
Hospitals were commonly overfilled and understaffed. Many hospitals were facing a lack of both supplies and staff. Healthcare workers worked long hours, leaving them not only exhausted, but with high chances of contracting the disease themselves. This pressure even lead to some going into early retirement or even to leave the profession entirely.
Work/ School
Everything From Home
Going to school in-person or work was suddenly shifted into attending online from home. Numerous people struggled with finding good wifi connections or trying to complete all the digital work. For some people, the only time they could see their friends from school or work was through online class meetings. Being laid off or let go during was also a huge problem for people, as suddenly they might not have an income anymore.
Mental Health
Stuck at Home: Isolation Struggles
During the pandemic, many people faced countless struggles, especially in mental health. Being stuck inside, potentially even by yourself, for weeks with little in-person or physical meetings was difficult. Growing concern for your family and friends, and stuck with digital communication through phone or video calls. Even worries about being able to go out to buy groceries.
Technology
How Tech Connected the World
With the sudden shift to moving everything online, it caused a rapid development in technology. Online was all of a sudden where you could do everything. From Google meetings for class to shopping online from Amazon or even using a streaming service to watch a new show, the popularity for these apps and services skyrocketed.
Personal
Life Distrupted: Changes in Everything
Not many people were the same after COVID. Some people had been fired, others had lost loved ones. Struggles with physically returning to jobs and schools, or adapting to hybrid styles. Even the readjustment to being able to gather in larger groups or at family gatherings. People who had new hobbies no longer had the extra time to do them or just being used to wearing a mask outside.
New Normals
RebuildingSocial Norms
After so long, new social norms were established, such as wearing a mask out in public or now finding locations with hand sanitizer. Leaving a larger physical distance between each other or avoiding close contact was also a new normal. It was also normal for businesses to have contactless payments or deliveries are expected. Remote learning opportunities or work options are average and generally expected.
Travel
New Restrictions & Desires
Attempting traveling anywhere was a struggle for many people, after COVID. After the pandemic, countless people began to travel in order to acomplish their previously cancelled plans. People also travelled to reunite with family in other countries that they hadn't been able to see, or to return home after lifted lockdowns. Airports have now adapted to new touchless check-ins and more flexible booking systems. Mid-2022 numerous airports and hotels were being overwhelmed by record amounts of crowds.
Economy
Commerce: a New Status of Money
Following the COVID pandemic, economies around the globe were struggling. For many, inflation was at an all time high for years after. This rapid increase in prices can be attributed to several factors, including sudden elevated amounts of spending and labor shortages. Prices skyrocketed in several different areas of the economy, such as travel, food, housing, and healthcare. The largest increase was in energy, whose price more than doubled.
From 27 million to 44 million US workers were affected by the sudden shift. Not including the countless amount of college students, around 55 million students in K-12 schools were impacted as well. Globally, an estimated 1.6 billion students' lives were altered.
By the end of the pandemic, over 7 million deaths having been reported, with the World Health Organization estimating a global toll of 21-27 million losses. An estimated 80,000 - 180,000 of the deaths were healthcare workers.
Between 70- 80 million Americans were struggling finacially during COVID, with a total estimate of over 1.6 billion workers and students globally. Around the US, the average reported numbers of those experiencing loneliness increased by about 10%.
Netflix gained 15.7 million new users in the first quarter of the pandemic alone, with a total of over 221.6 million subscribers globally by end in 2022, surpasing its previous count of 167 million prior to the outbreak.
Reasoning for part of the sudden spending increases, can be credited towards the U.S. government providing stimulus money to people across the US, like the American Rescue Plan and the CARES Act, which added $5 trillion into the US economy.
During the pandemic, many countries around the globe banned or at least placed heavy restrictions on large gatherings, which lasted around 1 to 2 years. The ban only began to be lifted after vaccines began to become available, and only completely dropped mid-2022.
Globally about $389 were spent on an estimated 928 billion face masks during the pandemic. Masks had become essential during the outbreak, and even after they remain one of the most memorable symbols of COVID.
International tourism reached about 1.4 billion by 2024, recoving back to the record numbers of 2019. This was an 11% increase over 2023, and a massive change from the travel industry's collapse of more than 75% back in 2020.