Role, Impact, and Scope of ICT Tools and Knowledge During Pandemic Emergencies and Beyond

Abstract

The notion of information and communication technology (ICT) appeared in the 1970s and has been in intense practice for the last two decades. Computers, smartphones, gadgets, and information technologies have influenced almost all spheres of the lives of the middle-class and upper-class population around the globe. Since the inception of the year 2020, the whole world has been witnessing the gravest pandemic in the history of mankind and its consequences: life during lockdowns, unlocks, vaccination drives, and preparations for probable future bursts of the virus. The modern-age armament, ICT tools, and its knowledge made the simulation of contemporary operational processes feasible in the hard pandemic times. In the present research, the need, role, and impact of ICT tools have been thoroughly studied and analyzed in the educational, medical, social, governance, cultural, commercial, and judicial realms. This study compares the operations being practiced in the current pandemic with those of previous pandemics when the ICT tools did not exist at all. Finally, the limitations of ICT-driven tools and knowledge during pandemic emergencies are discussed, and their scope and possibilities in the post-pandemic world are explored in the light of the probable future pandemic situations. The whole world is now sticking to one idea: maintain social distance anyhow! And ICT tools can be the only answer to implement this practice in reality while keeping the various human operations alive in pandemic emergencies.