2020 made me reevaluate my initial judgement of the humans in the movie Wall-E. They couldn’t even perform the simplest of tasks without the aid of technology, and had lost touch with the reality that I know. Without a conscious effort, in 2020 I could spend almost a week at home without a breath of fresh air. If it weren’t for groceries, I would have been shackled to my technology for longer. What would have surprised my Wall-E dystopia judging self, is that I often forgot about the “real world”. I was easily enveloped into the lively, bustling world that is the internet. How long before the virtual world becomes our “real world”?

I do think that the pandemic was an encouraging kick for some companies and industries. For example, those who were skeptical of moving towards digitalisation, were left with the decision to sink or swim. These processes of modernisation were inevitable in my opinion, but perhaps the pandemic was a speed ramp. Those initially slow adopters may now be be benefiting from the improved efficiency that comes with digitisation. On the other hand, small businesses or industries that rely on physical locations have had a merciless blow, often to the benefit of larger corporations such as Amazon.

As the world scrambles to become digitised, we are faced with many ethical concerns such as data privacy. Where will we draw the line between convenience and connectivity, and freedom of privacy. Will authorities be quick enough to create systems to protect us or will they exploit us with a tool that have a power potential greater than we have seen in history before. We are in a turning point in history, so we must all be informed and conscious of the decisions we make and the paths we take.