10 TRENDS THAT WILL CHANGE OUR SOCIAL INTERACTION

These days, it is debated how to “return to normal” after the confinement caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic. Governments around the world, business leaders, academics, and even artists, make proposals for a return to normality. In some countries severely affected by this pandemic, economic, educational, and social activities are already being resumed gradually and cautiously.

The great global crises have the power to promote radical and definitive changes in the norms that regulate some economic and social activities, as well as in the uses and customs of daily social coexistence.

The crisis of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001, radically changed the way we travel by plane. Passengers had to get used to new waiting times, luggage, security filters, immigration controls, etc. Airport and aircraft security has increased dramatically and stricter regulation has been imposed, impacting rising operating costs, but there has also been greater innovation in the use of new technologies and marketing strategies.

The crisis of the coronavirus COVID-19 will also modify forever many economic activities, customs and rules of coexistence in public places and workplaces. The voluntary or involuntary quarantine and the mobility, health and hygiene measures that have been imposed, make us reflect that the world will no longer be the same.

Despite the coordinated efforts of governments, scientists and research laboratories, it seems difficult that in the coming months there will be a vaccine and an efficient pharmacological treatment that can alleviate the effects of Covid-19. Meanwhile, we all have to learn to live and resume our activities in an environment of uncertainty and rapid changes.

We present to you 10 of the many trends that will radically change our social coexistence and the economic activities panorama.

1. A cold will no longer be a simple cough cough. Before COVID-19, a cold did not have to put us on alert. If we had mild symptoms, a cold did not prevent us from carrying out our daily activities. It was a personal decision to go to work, to school or to carry out social activities, visit friends, or go to the movies. Not now, until there is a vaccine and without an accurate diagnosis, we are obliged to maintain a precautionary social distance at any symptom. Companies must implement health and hygiene protocols to monitor the health status of their employees and avoid any possible contagion, as well as applying shared responsibility policies with their workers to motivate trust and be flexible.
   
   
2. Your temperature will be your access control. In work centers, transportation and public places, measures such as hand cleaning, the use of mouth covers and the taking of temperatures for employees and clients have been imposed. Given the impossibility of having a vaccine and carrying out rapid and massive tests, in the coming months when you go to the movies, the theater, a concert or get on a plane, train or bus, in addition to your entrance ticket, your temperature will be your access control.
   
   
3. No more kiss and goodbye. Once confinement is lifted, the healthy distance will remain the norm. The traditional kiss of greeting or farewell, very common in some countries and social groups, will have to wait for better times.
   
   
4. The home office is here to stay. Companies, government agencies and businesses have had to trust their collaborators and delegate responsibilities to carry them out from their homes. The results in general terms have been positive. The home office with good management, communication and well-defined objectives can be very efficient and productive, in addition to promoting considerable savings in time and material resources. Employees have also found benefits such as freedom to manage their time, family life, saving money and less stress. Companies will become more flexible, fixed office hours for some activities will no longer be the norm and results will be valued more for meeting objectives. The quarantine also helped consolidate the use of multiple telecommunications and remote work tools, the market for these new technologies and applications will continue to increase, and employees will have to integrate them into their professional training, in addition to self-management, time management skills and collaborative work.
   
   
5. New services, new businesses. Although many traditional businesses will have trouble starting operations and others will not reopen, it is also true that entrepreneurs who have taken risks and innovated services and products adapted to the new environment have benefited. Visionaries have begun to discover opportunities in the way of selling their products or providing services. This quarantine has dramatically changed the landscape of future business operations. The trend is:
   
   
   • Services and products direct to home, either because they will be offered remotely or will prevent customers from moving physically. The personalized and specialized remote consulting of professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, notaries, nutritionists, teachers, psychologists, etc. will be consolidated and will be daily. Companies that previously only offered their services in person are now looking for ways to connect online.
   • Home deliveries will continue to grow, not only in the number of transactions that take place 24 hours a day but also in the level of market penetration, they will spread in all corners of the country and will be increasingly accessible to all groups and social classes.
   • Customer service will be more innovative, efficient and fast through automated online services, almost immediate problem solving will be the norm, these services will have to be more efficient, reduce waiting time and offer a better personal relationship. Transfers to cancel a service, return a product or solve a problem will be a thing of the past, customer service centers will gradually disappear.
     
     
6. Consolidation of online education. Distance education will benefit and will be consolidated as the main means of self-learning, training and professional updating. Today, anyone can take a tutorial or an online course on almost any topic, from any part of the world, in any language with the translation included, at any price, even for free. Cross-border and multicultural education will become increasingly common. The groups of university students and masters who interact in a class from anywhere in the world, it is already a reality, this type of education will be extended to basic education, children will learn to communicate and cooperate with children from different places, cultures and even Languages.
   
   
7. More virtual experiences. The amount of time people spend on social media and other communication and entertainment platforms has been widely discussed and criticized; and even though many have become overwhelmed by the way the internet consumes their attention and time, people want more. The real world will become more virtual, in addition to the already traditional applications of music, video, games, education, contacts and online shopping, now we must also add neighborhood meetings, school meetings, theme parties, virtual experiences of extreme sports such as diving, surfing, motoring, cycling, etc.
   
   
8. Alexa or Siri, your GP. The applications that will monitor your health will increase, they will keep a record of your vital signs, weight, blood pressure, sugar level, caloric expenditure, etc. If necessary, they will give you advice and put you in touch with specialist doctors, in addition to reminding you of issues such as taking medicine, make appointments with the doctor, etc. The new applications will keep your daily health record and connect with large databases to be able to alert you and your doctor in a timely manner about any alteration in your health. In addition to being able to make preliminary diagnoses, taking into account your medical history, description of symptoms, daily registration of vital signs and changes in skin color, rashes, etc.
   
   
9. One more opportunity for the bicycle. Once the resumption of activities begins, if you want to avoid the crowds of public transport and road congestion, the bicycle is the ideal way to get around the city and maintain a healthy distance. Many governments are reinforcing their mobility policies to favor and promote the massive use of bicycles in cities.
   
   
10. Changes in social interaction and more hygiene measures. We all have to adjust to the new reality. Coexistence in public spaces will change for a few months, perhaps years, crowds and crowded places will be avoided. Restaurants, cafes, bars, gyms, cinemas, shops, if they want to continue operating successfully, must offer clean spaces and promote a safe coexistence under new circumstances and protocols implementations.
    

A determining factor of business success or failure will be the perception of safety and hygiene that customers have.

Are you ready?