Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of the digital age: Reflections on current and potential impacts to humanity, society and the healthcare system

Abstract

This article is a reflection on the current and potential impacts of COVID-19 pandemic along with the concurrent rise of the digital age. This brings forward a question of how we define ‘health’ in contemporary society considering the massive, unexpected, and novel changes from the individual to the global level that were brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic along with the increase use of the internet. This manuscript threads through the changes happening in the different bio-psychosocial dimensions of the human being and how we are implicitly challenged to adapt in these different areas. Pros and cons of this social transition and possible challenges, particularly focusing on the healthcare system is presented. It is undeniable that we are collectively entering a new era that is mostly unknown. This can bring mixed feelings of fear and anxiety as well as curiosity for the new opportunities it can offer in human evolution. Unspoken and covert demands currently being faced by the healthcare industry—particularly the practitioners, researchers, and educators in various healthcare fields—amidst two new social changes (COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the digital age) are written and explicitly outlined in this text for consideration. Furthermore, this article describes the impacts of all these changes to the essence of humanity, thereby, leaving the readers with points to ponder and reflect upon.