With the announcement that General Electric Co. is closing its New Orleans location, sending over 100 people into unemployment during the pandemic, I have been feeling a little apprehensive about the future of the tech industry as a whole. It is easy to feel uncertain about how the world is changing. The emergence of "essential" vs "non-essential" workers may be leaving many people unsure of where their skills will be needed any time soon. So to my fellow developers, I decided to check in on how Big Tech will be coming out of this crisis. (And it's looking good!)
Since this is meant to be uplifting, I wanted to start with, what is in my opinion, the most exiting turn of events. Technological advancements in the last 10 years have always been met with widespread backlash in one way or another, whether it be from people refusing to adapt to those changes, feel they are being left behind, upset over how their work life has been altered, or any combination of these things. However, because of social distancing and stay-at-home ordinances, many people are picking up tech they never used before, resulting in an overhaul of opinion. Ah, to see my parents finally admit that being on my phone all the time doesn't mean I'm being antisocial! Not really, but maybe some day real soon!
With millions of people on semi-enforced lock down, we've also seen a boom in video chatting services. Social interactions like business meetings, classroom learning or even chatting with in-laws have been completely transformed into virtual settings. According to Bernstein Research and Apptopia, the daily downloads of Zoom alone have increased 30x, shooting to 200 million daily users in March, up from 10 million just this last December. I can't help but think about all the issues this could solve once we've come out on the other end of this pandemic: people who don't have access to transportation now able to work at home, children too far from any good schools able to tune in long-distance style, or maybe even a program that allows elders in care facilities to interact with people online. Because these online video services have become "essential", I am excited to see how that translates into the future.
The changes in consumer behavior don't stop there. Amazon's grocery delivery service is one thing in particular that has become increasingly popular. As more customers try different Amazon services, they may create permanent shifts in buying habits, said Guru Hariharan, a former Amazon employee and the founder of CommerceIQ, a company whose automation software is used by major brands like Kellogg’s and Kimberly-Clark. I've mentioned before I worked at Target prior to pursuing programming, and I have personally seen disapproval for services such as this. Target has ownership of a company called Shipt, which has people in the store shopping from a virtual grocery list sent in via their app from Target shoppers. Both employees and shoppers alike had their fair share of negative opinions on the service, but now? People are hesitant to shop in person due to the risk and now such services are life-savors.
Another stay-at-home service that has seen an increase, unsurprisingly, is Netflix. A 9 percent bump, in fact. YouTube has seen some influx of viewership as well with people looking to be productive in quarantine. According to YouTube, they have experienced a 210% increase in average daily views of videos with “home office” in the title since March 15. Cooking videos have had a 100% increase, and work out and self improvement videos have seen a 515% increase. So many people using tech to pick up new skills is certainly cool to see.
Many people turn to Facebook for news in times of crisis and as a distraction while working from home. Mark Zuckerberg has reported voice calling on Facebook's WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have doubled in use. And interestingly enough, he is looking for ways to connect people even more efficiently. Facebook, wanting to add to the virtual presence market, plans on releasing Messenger Rooms, which allows you to create a room in Facebook or Facebook Messenger and invite up to 50 people to join, even if they do not have a Facebook account.
With the shift to virtual and so many people using these services for the first time, I find that the need for programmers will most likely increase as a result. Developing new technology or maintaining what has become an essential part of business falls to us! So, despite how rocky many of your situations have become, hang in there, and look forward to a changed world!
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