The digital future has long been talked about but the pandemic has brought it a big step closer. For millions, technology has been a lifeline in a new, socially-distanced reality. All over the world, consumers forced to stay at home have tuned in to Netflix, ordered from Amazon and dialled in to Zoom calls. In the US, less than 5 per cent of grocery shopping took place online before the crisis but this has surged to 10-15 per cent. Zoom says peak numbers using its video conferencing app in April were 30 times the level in December.
长期以来，人们一直在谈论数字未来，但新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19，即2019冠状病毒病）疫情让我们离它更近了一大步。对数百万人来说，在拉开社交距离的新现实下，技术就是生命线。在世界各地，被迫呆在家里的消费者收看Netflix的节目，从亚马逊(Amazon)下单购物，在Zoom上开视频会议。在美国，危机前食品杂货购买只有不到5%是在网上进行的，但如今这一比例已飙升至10%至15%。Zoom表示，今年4月份其视频会议应用的峰值是去年12月份的30倍。