The pandemic marked a before and after in communications, as it forced us to maintain the pace, move the economy forward and continue with daily tasks, fulfilling the prerogative of confinement. However, we should not generalize, since essential activities and, above all, the health area, did not have the joy of isolation, nor could people who live from day to day and do not have minimum social security, those who They work in the informal sectors or whose companies do not comply with health regulations. However, it is true that in certain sectors that season served as a testing laboratory.
Although digital communication and non-face-to-face communication have been developing for several years, at least in our country they have not enjoyed the same seriousness and importance as face-to-face meetings. Social networks do not allow lies, the number of memes that ridiculed teleworking or online education were the reflection of a collective feeling: that any situation where people did not coincide physically could not be taken really seriously. If we think about it carefully, the arguments are not enough to explain this feeling, since it seems more like an absurd and even nostalgic feeling that recognizes the person only when their body is close to them.
The era of confinement forced us to give seriousness to non-face-to-face events. Education and teleworking, again, were the first. Education continued its course, and in the fight not to reduce the level, the use of digital tools and the development of skills in students and teachers were encouraged. In fact, for many of the latter it was a challenge, since there were no shortage of those who did not have minimal digital skills and had to learn and practice in order to continue with their work and not abandon their students to oblivion.
The meetings and endless meetings of many types of work were moved to virtual conference rooms, despite the reluctance of many to appear on camera and cleverly disappear to the bathroom or for a coffee while the colleague launched his apology. All in all, it was learned that the effectiveness of the meetings did not have to decrease, that time could be optimized, pressured by the duration imposed by the platforms, and that it was possible to organize participation and share information more effectively. The practice has been sustained in various places, regardless of having returned to in-person work and connecting from the offices.
Remote work, although it suffered a decline after confinement was lifted, also became very popular and was adopted as a permanent measure in more than one company and institution. We have learned to use collaborative work platforms, to work for goals and results and not by times, to fulfill deliveries without having to travel, waste time, money or dress formally. Teleworking in pajamas and with coffee is a symbol that the digital world has a relevant mission. Although some areas lend themselves more than others to this change, and although labor abuses must be contained, it is a reality that spreads.
It was also recognized that there are other activities that do not require presence: shopping, paying for services, completing procedures and even meeting new friends. Furthermore, although in the past we would have doubted the seriousness of certain meetings, today we see with some naturalness that job interviews, medical appointments, psychological appointments, accounting or legal advice, negotiations, and countless meetings are held by videoconference. In fact, this allows us to expand the search range, being able to opt for services found in other latitudes or consult various options without the cost in time and money that travel entails.
Videoconferences already enjoy a certain prestige and are not viewed with the disdain of yesteryear, when they were not considered serious meetings. Surely the practice will continue to become widespread and coexist with face-to-face, but what is interesting is to understand how the digital universe has imposed gradual models of existence that we are often not aware of, but that are definitely transforming the world we used to know.
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