This made the Pandemic bearable for the individuals as staying home would have been difficult without personalized devices. To begin with, the internet providers have complied with the situation and introduced packages or the time. Families are sitting at home with less trouble, all because of cheaper internet bundles helping them stay connected with the outside world.
Internet For Surviving in the Quarantine
As mentioned by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), there has been a significant increase in the use of the Internet, ever since the lockdown was endorsed on March 24, 2020. There is an estimated increase of about 15% in the usage of the Internet across Pakistan with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Netflix, Tiktok and WhatsApp being the big trends. There is an estimated increase of about 15% in the usage of the Internet across Pakistan with Facebook, YouTube,Instagram, Netflix, Tiktok and WhatsApp being the big trends. Although traditional social media sites have evolved, users seem to want more than to communicate via text messages. This has provided a big boost to apps that used to remain in relative obscurity as people now want to see each other, through apps such as Google’s video messaging app, Duo and Houseparty. These apps allow groups of friends to join a single video chat to play games and enjoy movies together. Organizations and institutions have refrained from having physical interaction, so the impact is shifted at home. Offices and schools have moved into the basements and living rooms, with every sector trying to make positive use of this isolation. The educational tasks shared by the Schools are posted on Google Classroom, whereas, interactive sessions of meetings are taking place on apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Microsoft Teams. Websites like Coursera are providing online courses from world-renowned educational hubs like John Hopkins University and Yale University. The classes are accessible free of cost, and a minor fee is applicable if one desires certificate with payment of about $50. The economic sector has also witnessed a transition, and the businesses also shifted online to avoid human interaction. Even the citizens have shown avoidance to banknotes and are using digital payments as a mode of economic fluidity. In Pakistan, daraz.pk shares their experience of e-commerce where there has been a notable increase in online shopping and online payments. Similarly, people are avoiding payments in cash and making use of credit cards, either in online shopping or physical cashless transactions from stores. People are avoiding payments in cash and making use of credit cards, either in online shopping or physical cashless transactions from stores. The banking sector has used the situation as an opportunity for increasing digital banking adoption in the country. Retaking Pakistan’s example, the JS bank has given the statistics of a 10-12% increase in the rise of digital transactions in their JS wallet use ever since the lockdown was announced. E-commerce can be an effective solution until the situation stays restricted and uncertain, though there won’t be any harm in promoting the phenomenon in the long run too. The Telenor Microfinance banking has also highly encouraged digital finance for the public in these times. Mobile wallets have been put as an alternative until the situation normalizes as the use is easy to be adopted by all. Mobile wallets have been put as an alternative until the situation normalizes as the users easy to be adopted by all. In this time of need, people have also started to become familiar with online pharmaceutical services as they are easily assessable. There are many options to purchase the desired medicine online in Pakistan, like shifa4u.com and nibd.edu.pk, where the option of home delivery and the cash on delivery is also present. Cooking and baking are some of the activities that have helped occupy people to stay indoors and improve their skills in the kitchen. Websites like tasty.co and allrecipies.com are easily accessible and carry delicious meals that can be replicated conveniently. They have different levels that elevate to complicated dishes having an option to identify the level at which an individual stands along with his maturity at cooking. Quarantine has also helped people to come out of their shell and rediscover themselves. TikTok is a smart phone app that is packed with short clips of pranks and lip-syncing, started before the outbreak of Covid-19. Since its creation, it has continued to have a steady rise in its users. Charli D’Amelio the 15-year-old dancer is such an example who started like any other TikToker, but within a small span of quarantine she has gained about 60 million followers on TikTok. This had made her a social media celebrity making her the most followed person on the app and 18.7 million followers on Instagram. In terms of fitness, although the gyms are closed, there are means of keeping the workout on track. Different online gym services are functioning in the Pandemic like Wello and iTrain that help in maintaining the fit lifestyle. Online yoga and meditation class subscription can also be purchased online at minimum costs. Check out? Tempo, A Smart Home Gym to Track Your Fitness At a time when staying indoors is the best way to survive the coronavirus pandemic, the internet has emerged as savior for millions of internet users across the world. The lockdown doesn’t look quite as unbearable with the internet. Take it away and chances are our lives will fall apart like dry cake. It’s about work, leisure, shopping, family bonding and myriad other things as people recalibrate their lives. For every closed grocery shop, restaurant, movie hall, gym or even doctor’s appointment, the internet has an alternative ready at the click of a button. Internet is the only thing that has made isolation less boring rather it has brought a more viable option to stay safe home and wait for the COVID to end.
