2021 Projection: Technology Emerges As A Pandemic Persists On Innovation

Techno illustration in 2021 (Ilham Amin / VOI)

JAKARTA - The year 2020 has passed and changed the habits of human life in general. The lack of interaction between humans has been replaced by a technological barrier that is growing rapidly.

Work From Home or working from home is the beginning of a new habit for people in the midst of a pandemic. Regional quarantine or lockdown has also been enforced in many countries, including Indonesia.

Zoom and other video teleconferencing applications, such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet are popular services that people use to interact. Not only office employees, students and medical personnel also use this service to interact with one another.

So will video teleconferencing applications like Zoom still be popular in 2021? According to Multimedia observer and Director of the Indonesia ICT Institute Heru Sutadi, Zoom and similar applications will still be popular, at least until 2022.

"This means that it will still be used for a long time. And interestingly, many teachers, lecturers, students, and workers enjoy using online meetings. Because there is no need to go to school, work or meet people in person for meetings, especially during this pandemic," Heru said when talking with VOI some time ago.

Heru said, Zoom's popularity during the pandemic also encouraged similar platforms to develop their services to make them easier to use. It's like the word Zoom is a popular term used to describe online activities.

"Maybe if you meet in person only occasionally. But if you are forced to go to the office, to school or to campus at the time or after the pandemic, of course the use of video conferencing will decrease. Although users will still be there, for those who are constrained by distance, who consider video conferences more efficient, "he said.

Although popular, Zoom also does not escape from various problems and cases. The rise of the Zoombombing case is a particular concern for the company made by Eric Yuan. Where a stranger sneaks into the meeting room and disrupts the teleconference.

This is also Zoom's concern to improve its security services. By inserting multiple layers of security features, the company is trying to ward off Zoombombing's future actions.

Illustration (Jason Schneider / latesnews-live.com)

The Next TikTok?

Social media platforms are booming in the midst of a pandemic. Zoom, which was originally used to interact in online meetings, can now be used in general.

Including TikTok, which also rose in popularity during the pandemic. Not only used to make videos of various kinds of dances, now TikTok is also widely used as a medium for sharing stories and information.

TikTok's popularity has also begun to be followed by other platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to develop similar features. So will TikTok survive or is there another platform that will shine in 2021?

"Because it is still a pandemic in 2021 or 2022. This means that online communication is very much needed, such as videos, streaming and applications that lead to it, I think there will be many (appear)," said social media observer Ismail Fahmi to VOI.

According to Fahmi, social media platforms will develop along with internet network connectivity capabilities. Moreover, many countries have begun to adopt 5G network technology, including Indonesia.

The creator of the Drone Empri analysis system estimates that streaming services will develop rapidly in 2021. Moreover, many social media platforms also have similar features, so that people will be easy to use in their interactions.

"Maybe on Twitter there will be a lot of video streaming, live streaming, then the longer (duration) is no longer short, then on Instagram there is already IG Live, maybe there will be a new platform application that makes it easier," he explained.

"There are more video games. It is also possible that these platforms will add features, yes, if the features already exist, maybe they can be developed again, such as the duration from two minutes to five minutes longer," said Fahmi.

Smartphone Trends in 2021

Many smartphone manufacturers have begun to adapt flexible screen panel technology. Samsung, Motorola, and Huawei have presented flagship phones with models that can be opened and folded.

Gadget observer Lucky Sebastian predicts that this trend will still develop in 2021. Even so, mobile phones with standard models that carry a unibody or candybar still have their own charm.

"Standard smartphones with ordinary screen panels will still lead next year. However, many vendors will present smartphones with new designs such as folding screens or scroll phones," Lucky said in a short message.

Likewise with gaming phones. Lucky said, the presence of the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset also encourages manufacturers to present high-performance smartphones.

"There will be more and more flagship phones, and it is likely that most Androids will use Snapdragon 888. From one vendor it is possible to issue several types of smartphones with this chipset," said Lucky.

However, he also did not deny that the mid-range and entry-level markets were still in great demand. "Mid-range and budget phones are still the prima donna in the next year. The increase in the segment is still triggered by a pandemic that requires many WFH people."

Including adapting 5G technology, said Lucky, many vendors will compete to present cellphones that use the latest generation of internet networks. Although not many, consumer enthusiasm for the presence of 5G technology should be taken into account.

"Even though it cannot be used, 5G may be present at the end of 2021, but it is still experimental and still in small scope. But in terms of marketing the readiness of cell phones with 5G technology will encourage Indonesian consumers to have it," concluded Lucky.