Of all the professional sports affected by recent bans on spectators, sumo feels to me the strangest without its crowds. In theory, 1,400-year-old traditions and ritualised channelling of the warrior spirit should preserve the sport’s essence even without a roaring throng. As it turns out, loincloths and blubber lose a lot of their thrill without the cushion-hurling grannies and half-cut salarymen who normally attend such events.
The tech world should take note. Asia’s various responses to the pandemic have tested — ahead of Europe and the US — both received wisdom and future projections about the way we consume content and engage with technology.
Across the region, tens of millions of people have either been obliged or strongly encouraged to remain at home for periods stretching into weeks, with tech as their uninfected ally. Efforts to convince people to swap meetings and the daily commute for laptop telework and video conferencing have bolstered the hermit ranks. School closures and remote-learning software have further increased the population of people living even more than usually through their screens.