Mefail Tahiri1* Ejup Rustemi2
1University of Tetova, North Macedonia
2University of Tetova, North Macedonia
* mefailt@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Technologies are useful and necessary tools to help ensure that authorities continue to provide appropriate required services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As the virus continued to spread around the globe, almost all governments had brought forward restrictions in accordance with how the pandemic evolved. These restrictions affected the mobility of people, the way services were provided and the specific rules regarding social distancing. In this context, technology had a profound effect on the daily life of citizens and guaranteed them, among other things, access to services related to health, access to needed information in relation with the authorities, and what is very crucial, it provided, and continues to do so, the main tools for economic growth. However, the rapid expansion of the COVID-19 virus can force the competent authorities to take on-time decisions, involving, but not just, digital technologies. This, although effective in the short term, can lead to negative long-term impacts, particularly with regard to digital rights and local governance. In addition, throughout the post COVID-19 phase, digital technologies will be crucial and at the heart of ensuring a return to the daily life of citizens and communities in safe conditions, and a return to the provision of services. This paper will give an overview about the challenges that the world has faced and is still facing during this time.
Keywords: digital economy, COVID 19, computer devices, connections, communications.
- Natural and mathematical sciences
INTRODUCTION
The data-based digital economy is booming, global traffic in Internet Protocol (IP) has tripled between 2017 and 2022. However, the digital divide is widening, according to the UNCTAD Digital Economy Report of 2021.According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Covid-19 pandemic has greatly increased Internet traffic, as many activities have had to be adapted to this new reality and established online.According to the mentioned report Global Internet usage increased by 35% in 2020, which is an important increase compared to the 26% from the previous year.On the other hand, the increased share of data flows is closely related to mobile networks. With the increase in the number of mobile devices and devices connected to the Internet, data traffic by mobile broadband should represent almost a third of the total volume of data in 2026, indicates the report.UNCTAD reports, however, that the data-based digital economy is unfortunately characterized by major imbalances and major fractures.As the digital economy grows, an additional data divide worsens the digital divide, according to the Director of the Technology and Logistics Division of UNCTAD, Shamika N. Sirimanne. It urges the establishment of a new international system for regulating data flows in order to redistribute the gains more equitably.
Volume 6.No.2(2022): April – (Social Sciences Session)
ISSN 2661-2666 (Online) International Scientific Journal Monte (ISJM)
ISSN 2661-264X (Print)
DOI : 10.33807/monte.20222574
DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.33807/monte.20222574
Full Text: PDF
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)