The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on video conferencing popularity has been nothing short of astounding – and uptake is continuing to remain strong.
It’s an ill-wind that blows nobody any good as they say and that certainly applies to Zoom – arguably the world’s most popular video-conferencing application.
Statistics from Statista indicate:
- In Q3, 2019 (pre-pandemic), there were approximately 2.14 million downloads of the Zoom mobile app in the Asia Pacific region
- In Q2, 2020 there were 129.01 million downloads
- In Q1 this year – 39.34 million downloads – still 18 times the pre-pandemic level.
Zoom isn’t the only show in town of course – among other popular applications for keeping in touch via video is Skype. As to what sort of broadband connection speed and data requirements you’ll need for either we covered in an article last year.
ICT Keeping Us Connected
When the Spanish flu wreaked havoc back in 1918, it infected around a third of the world’s population and tens of millions of people died. Medical technology has improved by leaps and bounds since then – but so too has Information and communications technology (ICT).
Unlike the early 1900’s we now have multiple additional ways to stay connected – phone, email, instant messaging and video conferencing. Medicine and ICT are helping to keep many of us safe from, and the latter while connected to, each other during these challenging times.
Once primarily the realm of businesses, video conferencing has become indispensable for tool many ordinary folks, providing the added dimension of being able to see our colleagues, friends and family. Avoided and perhaps even feared by some previously, it has been embraced by many that otherwise may have never gone near the technology.
Video conferencing has also been an important tool for those helping us to keep us safe – for medical professionals to communicate with each other and to continue to care for us.
While it’s not the same as being there in person – and sometimes technical glitches can be frustrating – imagine trying to navigate the current situation we face without the tech tools of today that keep us connected and informed (and unfortunately, sometimes misinformed). It would be incredibly frustrating – and frightening.
While there are pros and cons with the internet and the various technologies that ride on it – overall, they have been a blessing while we continue to make our way through this difficult period.
