Sustainable, technological, and innovative challenges post Covid-19 in health, economy, and education sectors

Abstract

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused an evolution in the business use of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and New Technologies in general. The general objective of the article is to assess how this process developed during the pandemic in the use and standardization of Big Data, digitalization, the use of data in the private sector and in the public administration and to assess whether it has been used to modernize and digitalize the post-pandemic society. The specific objectives of the article are: 1) the impact of new technologies on society during confinement; 2) to understand the use of Big Data for the creation of new products and businesses and 3) to assess which businesses and companies and from which economic sectors have emerged, which have been transformed and which have disappeared.

1. Introduction

In 2021, a detailed study was carried out on the state of digital transformation in the business world, specifically on the business use of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and new technologies in general and on relationships with customers (Fernández-Rovira et al., 2021). This article aims to update the previous analysis and to expand on it from the perspective of the new social situation caused by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The questions are as follows: How have new technologies been used during this initial pandemic period? In which sectors have they been used most? Have they been beneficial? Have there been differences in the use of new technologies and, if so, which ones and in what ways?

The importance of this research lies in the fact that most of the countries established confinements of lesser or greater intensity and duration and, if society and the economy continued to function in relative normality, it was thanks to the new technologies and the advances in the treatment of Big Data that had already been analyzed in the previous article and that were now being put to the test. This article explains how important their use has been in different economic and social sectors and how their impact has been global.

In the last two years new technologies have been used in professional activities: teleworking, virtual meetings, medicine and the creation of vaccines, in the appearance of new products and markets and also in domestic activities such as virtual teaching and online shopping. In this way, applications for making virtual calls from different types of media have increased in number and supply to meet the needs of family, friends and work meetings - Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.

In one specific aspect the impact of the confinement on the education sector was confirmed showing that families were not prepared for this challenge and that it generated great social differences between coexisting groups living with and without technical resources. Many people had computers, tablets and mobile phones to cover their social and leisure needs, however, it became clear that many households did not have either work programs (Microsoft Office or comparable, Acrobat Reader) on their mobile devices or external equipment (printers, scanners, cameras) or the knowledge needed to use them (for some people sending a simple e-mail was a challenge).

Another aspect to consider is the difference between private companies and public administration because it was much more fluid and faster in the first case than in the public sector. Face-to-face visits with government agencies were suspended causing differences between those users with technological knowledge and those without such knowledge or access to new technologies. From one day to the next, and for months, all forms, documents, deposits and payments could only be made digitally causing many problems for those who did not even have a computer at home.

The objectives of the article are: 1) the impact of new technologies on society during confinement; 2) to understand the use of new technologies for the creation of new products and businesses and 3) the role and impact of funds that are being promoted from different governments and supra-governments (EU), in line with sustainability and environmental improvement, society stability and the protection of the privacy of citizen's data.

The sectors affected by the initial questions and objectives found in an initial documentary search have been classified into three large groups: health - in relation to the follow-up of people infected by the virus; companies and businesses - in relation to remote consumption and home delivery services due to the situation of confinement; and education - in relation to confinement and, therefore, to the provision of education accessible to all types of students, but at a distance. Most of the documents found at the beginning of the study referred to the Western context and, more specifically, to the Hispanic world.

Therefore, this article investigates the use of new technologies at the beginning of the declaration of the pandemic, when there were widespread global containment actions. A series of documents have been analyzed to focus on the impact of new technologies in three areas: health, economy and education. Each of these three sectors has then been analyzed with the pros and cons, the differences established between private companies and public administrations, and the effects on the public and private worlds. Finally, sectoral and thematic conclusions were drawn to give a picture of the impact on the use of new technologies during the first year of the pandemic.

2. Theoretical framework

The World Health Organization officially declared the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, responsible for the Covid-19 disease, as a pandemic (Santillán Marroquín, 2020) that is, capable of spreading rapidly through different countries at the same time. Although it began in China in 2019, its spread has been global and has affected every country on Earth. In addition, different variants of the disease have been emerging that have also been spreading with greater or lesser impact on a global scale.

At the beginning of 2022, the total number of deaths in the world from Covid-19 was about 5.5 million, with the United States being the most affected country with 827,728 deaths (dated January 3, 2022, obtained from Expansión, 2022). 50 % of the world's population are fully vaccinated: 3,891,426,770 (Expansión, 2022).

The measures that have been taken were initially the total confinement of the population of most countries (Zuñiga et al., 2020), the promotion of teleworking for non-essential labor sectors and distance education (OECD, 2021). Subsequently, after shorter or longer periods of confinement depending on the country, less drastic measures were implemented such as reducing the mobility of the population, keeping a safe distance, increasing hygiene and the use of masks in enclosed spaces. Finally, vaccination began at the end of 2020 with various types of vaccines, doses and supply intervals.

In this global situation, the effects have also been international and global, affecting most countries and in different sectors, including economic, social, human behavior and the environment. (Zuñiga et al., 2020; García-Madurga et al., 2021; Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2021). In fact, some studies, such as the one conducted by Celda et al. (2022), show that, despite the digital transformation needs generated by COVID 19, some institutions continue to use traditional business management methods. To put it another way, while not applicable to all businesses or organizations, it is clear that technological change will have a greater impact on the business world, specifically in management. Social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), digital platforms (Teams, Zoom), payment methods (Bitcoin, credit cards, QR codes) messaging and communication systems (WhatsApp, Telegram) have increased in use and expansion involving the digitalization of companies, distance education and the development of new ways of consuming and marketing products and services. An analog-to-digital conversion was taking place, which this pandemic situation has accelerated in different areas: digital prescriptions and medical consultations, digital and online banking, distance education using new technologies, and an increase in teleworking and a decrease in office work (Zuñiga et al., 2020).

In socioeconomic aspects, the impact has been very strong, leading to a slowdown in commercial transactions, which has led some companies to reconvert, while others have closed (Zuñiga et al., 2020; García-Madurga et al., 2021). The International Monetary Fund considered that the global economic implications would be: a major recession, negative growth for more developed economies and lower growth for developing economies along with loss of purchasing power per capita (Serbulova et al., 2020).

Social isolation, with an average of three months' confinement, led to the paralysis of many businesses and a slowdown in production, partly due to uncertainty among the population about the near future and the fall in demand for products and services (tourism, personal care, leisure, sporting and cultural events). The companies that have been able to convert have relied on the online market, taking advantage of the fact that people spent all their time at home and had access to the Internet via computers and mobile devices, which facilitated digital payments and access to a range of online leisure products. The companies that have benefited the most have been those that had already been in the process and consolidation for some years, which with the pandemic situation have increased exponentially in numbers of customers and sales: Amazon, Alibaba, AliExpress (Zuñiga et al., 2020), Walmart (García-Madurga et al., 2021).

While on the one hand proponents argue for the need to be more economically international, but aware of both the positive and negative contributions of globalization (Zuñiga et al., 2020), on the other hand, they argue for a de-globalization economy with local value responses with a collaborative approach that can be internationalized based on the solidarity of the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem (García-Madurga et al., 2021). In any case, what is agreed upon is the feeling of uncertainty that the pandemic situation has generated in society, affecting more the already more vulnerable people, such as women, young people (psychological effects), ethnic minorities and low-skilled workers (with little digital knowledge), rural areas and less technologically advanced countries (Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2021) such as Mexico and South America (Zuñiga et al., 2020; García-Madurga et al., 2021). Likewise, not all sectors have been equally affected (Serbulova et al., 2020), finding the most adversely affected among the tourism sector (restaurants and hotels), industry and construction, aeronautics, oil and gas production (less mobility means less energy expenditure) and the service sector, while those dedicated to the sale of online products, entertainment (on-demand television and games) and personal care (sports at home) have benefited. To this end, the role of new technologies and the actual process of digitalization consolidation for all economic and social processes is relevant (Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2021; Serbulova et al., 2020). A digitization with its risks and advantages, which have to be evaluated by companies to achieve the balance, since they have the benefits of being able to increase profits (higher sales from home and with users in their comfort zone) decreasing costs (fewer offices and sales premises with a single central location), but with the risks of suffering cyber-attacks and computer theft or the existence of a large part of the population still being digitally illiterate (Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2021; Serbulova et al., 2020).

To conclude this theoretical framework, an active role of public administrations as promoters, collaborators and promoters of equitable and accessible digitization would be requested. There is an urgent need for total connectivity, both in urban areas and in rural regions, and for Internet access in most households. Incentive policies to promote economic digitization should be a priority for all types of companies, including the smallest ones, since the cost is higher for them and they are more vulnerable to cyberattacks (Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2021). Digitalization can lead to greater sustainability, implying less pollution and congestion in the daily entry and exit of workers from their place of work to their place of residence, as well as loss of working time. On the other hand, administrations have to ensure compliance with good conditions for remote work, as citizens may be psychologically affected by having to accept imposed working conditions (working at home, in isolation and autonomously, with digital user knowledge and with tools often not provided by companies) and be forced to accept a work environment that is undesirable a priori (Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2021). The process of digitalization due to the consequences of the pandemic (social isolation, confinements, quarantine periods) has been enhanced by robotization, the increased use of drones (surveillance and transfers), the mechanization of a large number of industrial and technical processes, the growth of companies related to cybersecurity and the increasing use of augmented reality in education and technology companies (Serbulova et al., 2020).

3. Methodology

At the time of carrying out this study based on a review of the literature, the technique of searching for concepts by keywords in the most important and recognized scientific databases (Web of Science and Scopus) has been used. Likewise, academic articles were also sought in Google Academy to see if there was any documentation of a more informative nature and based on personal experiences which, in some cases, may be indicators of specific and local situations. Therefore, for the development of the article, we chose to make use of a literature based on recent research and documents, recognized sources of information were taken, from which we were able to make an analysis of the new global dynamics in the context of the pandemic of covid-19, as in other articles that have reacted in the same way to this unforeseen situation. (Zuñiga et al., 2020; García-Madurga et al., 2021).

The article collects, analyzes and classifies the studies based on the theme of the impact of Covid-19 on different socioeconomic sectors and the use of Big Data and the new technologies as a solution to the challenge of confinement. The time period is based on articles that were written in the previous two years (2020–2021), justified by the fact that this period was the most current and by the large number of publications that had already been presented.

The topic matter is so broad that a first screening was first carried out to assess the use of Big Data by economic and domestic sectors, by private companies and public bodies and by businesses and individuals (customers/users).

For this reason, keyword searches have taken place in the two stages. In the first search, the terms used were “Covid-19”, “new technologies” and “Big Data”. Subsequently, other specific concepts were added with words such as “teleworking”, “education”, “health” and “business”. The time frame was not restricted as it was a recent event, but articles from the years 2020 and 2021 were found. The geographical scope was not restricted either, but several of the articles had a territorial framework limited to Spain and South American countries and were written in Spanish.

As can be seen in Table 1 , there are a total of 25 articles from 2020 and 2021 from Spanish, Latin American or international universities or research centers with headquarters and alliances between universities and research centers from different Anglo-Saxon and Hispanic countries. The interest of these selected articles lies in the assessment they make of the use of Big Data and new technologies to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 in the global socioeconomic framework on a national or international scale. Therefore, the final selection of so few articles is due to a selection motivated by the importance of the contributions made by each of them, either because they are repeated in other articles or because they are unique in focusing on a specific aspect.

Table 1.

Analysis of scientific articles consulted.

Information article					Information magazine
Authors	Center	Method	Key word	Year	Title	Country	Q
Jiménez, J.C.	School teacher (Madrid, Spain)	Opinion Own experience	Education	2020	Revista Internacional de Educación para la Justicia Social	Spain	Q4
Márquez Díaz, J.	PhD University of Cundinamarca (Colombia)	Machine learning deep learning Big Data AI	Digital intelligence Big Data Health	2020	Revista de Bioética y Derecho	Spain	Q2
Pham, Q. -V.; Nguyen, D. C.; Huynh-The, T.; Hwang, W. -J.; Pathirana, P. N.	Universities of South Korea and Australia	Big Data AI	Big Data AI Health	2020	IEEE Access	USA	Q1
Pradana, A.R.; Madjid, S.R.; Prayitno, H.J.; Utami R.D. and Dharmawan, Y.	Universities of Indonesia	Research Analytical Descriptive	Big Data Health	2020	Journal of Physics: Conference Series	UK	Q4
Sheng, Jie; Khan, Zaheer; Wang, Xiaojun	University of Bristol and Aberdeen (UK)	Research Analytical Descriptive	Management Big Data	2020	UK		Q2
Santillán Marroquín, W.	University of Ecuador	Essay	Teleworking ICT Company	2020	CienciAmérica	Ecuador	Q4
Cifuentes-Faura, J.	University of Murcia (Spain)	Application case study	ICT Education	2020	Revista de Estilos de Aprendizaje	Spain	Q4
Rodríguez, K.G.; Ortiz, O.; Quiroz, A.; Parrales, M.L.	Students and researchers Universities of Ecuador	Document revision, own experience, empirical observation	E-commerce Consumer Companies	2020	Revista Espacios	Venezuela	Q4
Monasterio, D.; Briceño, M.	Teachers University of Venezuela	Argumentative essay	ICT Education	2020	Observador del Conocimiento	Venezuela	–
Morales Torres, M.; Bárzaga Quesada, J.; Morales Tamayo, Y.; Cárdenas Zea, M. P.; Campos Rivero, D. S.	Universities Ecuador and Cuba	Qualitative focus Phenomenological-hermeneutical method	ICT University Education	2021	Revista Universidad y Sociedad	Cuba	–
Castañeda Guillot, C.; Castro Sánchez, F. J.; Verano Gómez, N. C.	University of Ecuador	Non structured search in databases PubMed, Google Scholar and SciELO	Big Data Health	2021	Revista Universidad y Sociedad	Cuba	–
Rigoberto Casco, A.	Catholic University Honduras	Bibliographic review	Consumer Company	2020	INNOVARE Revista de Ciencia y Tecnología	Honduras	–
Hernández Cherrez, E.	Researcher (Spain, Ecuador)	Essay	ICT Education	2020	MEDICIENCIAS UTA	Ecuador	–
Arenas Ramiro, M.	University of Alcalá (Spain)	Legislative review and essay	Ethics Big Data Health	2021	CONFLUÊNCIAS	Brazil	Q4
Rodicio-García, M. L.; Ríos-de-Deus, M. P.; Mosquera-González, M. J.; Penado Abilleira, M.	Universities of A Coruña and Burgos (Spain)	Survey Quantitative method Bibliographic review	ICT University Education	2020	Revista Internacional de Educación para la Justicia Social	Spain	Q3
Rivas, V. R. F.; Álvarez, G. L. M. (2020)	University Lima (Perú)	Research Analytical	ICT Education	2020	Journal of business and entrepreneurial studies	Perú
Jiménez Guerra, Yaima; Ruiz González, María de los Ángeles	University of Cuba	Argumentative essay	ICT Education	2021	Economía y Desarrollo
Cardona-Londoño, C.M.; Ramírez-Sánchez, M.; Rivas Trujillo, E.	University of Bogotá (Colombia)	Research Analytical	ICT Education	2020	Revista Espacios
Nivela-Cornejo, María Alejandrina; Echeverría-Desiderio, Segundo Vicente; Santos Méndez, Marcos Manuel	University of Guayalquil (Ecuador)	Argumentative essay Bibliographic review	ICT Education	2021	Horizontes Revista de Investigación en Ciencias de la Educación
Tsikala, M.; Atalla, E.; Georgakas, J.; Shehadeh, F.; Mylona, E.K.; Kalligeros, M.; Mylonakis, E.	Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (USA)	Argumentative essay	IA, TIC Health	2020	Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering,
Papadopoulosa, T.; Baltasb, K.N.; Baltac, M.E.	University of Kent (United Kingdom)	Argumentative essay	TIC Digital Enterprises	2020	International Journal of Information Management
Ikpe Justice Akpan; Didier Soopramanien; Dong-Heon (Austin) Kwak	United Kingdom USA	Argumentative essay Bibliographic review	TIC Digital Enterprises	2021	Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Nishant Renu	Independent USA	Argumentative essay	Digital, TIC Health Economy	2021	SAGE Open Medicine
Kudyba, Stephan	USA	Argumentative essay Research Analytical	Business Enterprises Digital, TIC	2020	Information Systems Management
Bote-López Sergio	Ecuador	Qualitative Study Argumentative essay	Marketing Enterprises Redes Sociales	2021	REICOMUNICAR

Source: self-prepared.

Articles and reports written by administrative and public bodies have also been found, but, in this case, their assessments and contributions have been included in the theoretical framework as general aspects.

4. Results

Based on the documentary literature obtained, an analysis by topic and sector was carried out and three areas of interest were detected, and with no conflicting interests: health (6), education (10) and business (9). From each article the objective, scope and most representative contributions are stated. If we look at the theoretical framework, we find that the most worked topics have been those related to the economy and business (Zuñiga et al., 2020; García-Madurga et al., 2021; Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2021), in relation to new markets, new consumer trends and the impact of measures to contain the pandemic such as the confinements that led to the increase in telework and the sale of products and services remotely. Also in these more comprehensive articles, the topic of education is addressed (Zuñiga et al., 2020; Serbulova et al., 2020; García-Madurga et al., 2021; Amankwah-Amoah et al., 2021), and comments are found on the difficulties in making knowledge reach all students equally, but the need to invest more in new technologies, also in this field, is insisted upon. And, finally, the issue least addressed by the documents in the theoretical framework are those related to the control and monitoring of the pandemic and its impact on health on a global scale, although they are indirectly addressed as the origin of the changes that have occurred in the economic and educational fields mentioned above.

4.1. New technologies in the healthcare sector

From data provided by AI and radiodiagnostics, Big Data and algorithms, pandemics and some diseases can be investigated more quickly, in the short term, and, in the long term, new pandemics can be prevented and anticipated (Márquez Díaz, 2020). In the case of COVID -19, the use of these technologies has facilitated detection.

New technologies can improve prediction, treatment and response to these new challenges, which are expected to increase in the future. Therefore, the more information obtained during this period, the earlier and better patients can be treated.

This is also the point of view taken by Pham et al. (2020). They show that Big Data and AI can be very useful for understanding and treating Covid-19 with the aim of reducing its impact. The most positive contribution of this article is that it confirms the union that has taken place between governments and private companies, with the intention of obtaining results as soon as possible. Thus, Amazon and Google reportedly used their systems to provide information on the effects of the pandemic on a global scale, country for country. This article, along with the previous one, were written prior to the development of the vaccine but already indicate possible solutions. In fact, in this second article, the use of AI and Big Data is discussed in aspects such as the improvement in the detection and diagnosis of the disease, the identification and health effects on people, surveillance and monitoring, biomedicine and the pharmacological treatment with the creation of vaccines. Among its recommendations is the regulation and implementation of policies by government institutions as it is a global pandemic with broad effects on society and that brings together citizens, scientists, researchers, industries and large technological companies in a joint fight against the illness. The importance of government institutions is key for these researchers as they understand that, on the one hand, it is important for all the research teams to have the same general data base in order to be able to attain the greatest possible amount of data but, on the other hand, this cannot be done at any price and there must be guarantees for the privacy and treatment of private data with the application of the 5G network. Hence, the importance of the leadership of public entities and administrations over private companies.

In the article by Pradana et al. (2020), the use of Big Data is also needed to improve detection and monitor the spread of COVID-19, and, at the same time, this should be done jointly by all countries to generalize the information. However, it has been found that each State uses its own database which makes it difficult to prevent the transmission of the virus. This article specifies the information that Big Data can provide in the progression of the pandemic: it is useful to detect cases; compare the pandemic with other previous diseases; speed up the treatments to be applied according to the patients by identifying the variants of the disease and the waves of transmission; detect group transmission in restricted areas and contacts through mobile and credit card applications by capturing the mobility information of the people and, therefore, of the virus as well as improving the efficiency of the treatments. For these researchers Big Data would make it possible to reduce the negative impacts of the pandemic which are affecting sectors as large as the economy and education.

Another more recent article of interest from late 2021 confirms the social and psychological impact on the citizens of developing countries (Castañeda Guillot et al., 2021) or those with a weak social system. Therefore, a pandemic such as Covid-19, still present after 18 months of study, implies significant effects at the level of the economy (impoverishment in economies that are already underdeveloped) and the population (high mortality in a short period of time), but it also psychologically affects the society of poor or unstructured regions with difficult access to vaccinations and health. This study calls for the intervention of public bodies in the organization of health to ensure equity and free access to health services for all the population, and especially the most vulnerable (children, pregnant women, the elderly).

An article that touches on issues from an ethical point of view is the one by Arenas Ramiro (2021) in relation to the follow-up applications of contacts infected by the virus. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, contact tracing was used which generated many ethical doubts in aspects of health and protection of personal information. Therefore, either with manual measures or mobile applications, contact tracing and follow-up of those individuals who had been in contact with the disease were carried out as a measure to stop the spread of the virus either locally or nationally and internationally (arrival at airports and ports). This practice requires private data, so its use began to be questioned, even if it was due to a global pandemic. Following the legislation that had to be generated in this regard, the intervention of public bodies is evaluated for the correct application of these databases, which should be as global as possible in order to facilitate their use, but general enough so that they do not affect the individual. Likewise, an independent body would have to be assigned to ensure the proper functioning of Big Data.

Finally, an interesting article by Tsikala et al. (2020) explains the new technological and digital innovations used in the monitoring, control and treatment of the disease. Innovative solutions are essential given the limited resources of a pandemic that has expanded globally and very rapidly and for which States do not have the capacity to implement an immediate response plan. In the study, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, new technologies are being implemented and consolidated that until now were minimal and had little presence: AI, robotics, virtual reality and nanotechnology for the development of vaccines, Big Data for infection monitoring, mathematical models to predict the changing trends of the virus and 3D printing for some treatments. The document calls for the collaboration of the scientific community from different countries and the exchange of knowledge, experiences and treatments because this is essential.

4.2. New technologies in the company and management

In the article by Sheng et al. (2020) the use of Big Data to fight against Covid-19 is confirmed and has become an example for researchers, students and future politicians and economic managers for a predictive use in the study of contemporary management issues. Undoubtedly, Covid-19 poses great global challenges and the use of Big Data can help fight and predict the great challenges that this pandemic is producing on a global scale in economic areas and productive sectors. In recent decades, new technologies have increased, both in diffusion (around the world), as well as in variety (different types of programs and instruments) and effects on numerous sectors (initially communication and transportation). It is considered that the more data collected and analysis carried out in the case of COVID-19, the better government entities will be able to design their services, codes, and short and long-term planning. It is of interest to know the effects of a pandemic of these characteristics on the commercial and business sector to develop new economic models with which to face the challenges, crises and economic cycles that may occur in the near future.

The work of Sheng et al. (2020) analyzes the application of the use of Big Data in areas such as the future of work, the new marketing practices that will have to be developed in the face of increasingly changing consumer behavior, the development and innovation of new products and services in the face of the challenging demand of consumers and global value chains and challenges in terms of sustainability, governance and public policies. The analysis of what is currently being done with Covid-19 can be applied to other phenomena and will serve to assess the long-term implications of these situations, both in the economies of advanced countries and the economies of those in development. It is of interest to understand the functioning and anticipate the future situation in areas such as employability, local and global crises, knowledge sharing, business resilience using the capabilities brought by new technologies and digitalization, supply chains of materials and products, and the future functioning and sustainability of the local, national and international economy.

For his part, Santillán Marroquín (2020) focuses on teleworking, which is work carried out at home by an employee, especially during confinement. To be able to carry out this type of work two elements are necessary: that the jobs can be carried out remotely outside a productive or service space (without contact, non-essential) and the existence of minimal technological and communication tools: computer, telephone, computer programs, mobile applications, etc. The positive part of teleworking is that people with mobility difficulties can work from home or from places that are not from the office and that they facilitate work communications from different countries in the world with no need to travel or make time changes (in this way a company can be running all day). For the worker, it favors, to a certain extent, the work-life balance. With Covid-19 and the actions taken by governments to reduce transmission based on total confinement – except for essential workers – teleworking quickly became the solution for companies to continue offering their services and therefore, carry out their activities. For the author, regulation by public administrations of this type of work has become necessary because although it allows more flexibility, it also implies a change in the labor system affecting timetables, working days, holidays, programming of deliveries for projects and salaries.

Teleworking has positive repercussions both for the company (entrepreneur, worker) and for society (reduction of pollution by avoiding daily traffic jams and a reduced risk of accidents), although the negative repercussions which are usually due to poor planning of teleworking must also be assessed. Therefore, if there are not good working conditions in the worker's home, family conflicts and emotional tensions can increase because they are not able to differentiate between time dedicated to work, leisure and family. In more business-related aspects, hierarchies, leadership and commitment to the company can be lost and there is a greater possibility of distancing, computer attacks and cybersecurity failures.

On the other hand, the article by Rodríguez et al. (2020) finds that Covid-19 has forced companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, to re-think e-commerce. In the past, ICT was only for administrative activities (e-mails and web pages) but now, their conversion to business digitalization and distance selling is necessary, not as an extra as it was until now, but as a main activity and it is even necessary for their survival. Small and medium-sized companies currently must have web pages and digital platforms to market their products and, not only locally or nationally, but also to open up to international markets. To do this, they have linked with social networks (Instagram and Facebook), messengers such as WhatsApp and applications for deliveries. This study highlights the change in companies that have entered digitalization. Previously, companies belonging to the aviation, leisure and tourism sector stood out while now, essential product services such as food, health and education prevail.

Likewise, the degree of satisfaction has increased due to the speed of obtaining products and the ease of being able to do so from home with the need for applications for electronic monetary transactions: bank transfers, credit cards, mobile applications, Bitcoin, QR codes, …. This has also been used more by young people and people on low incomes than by other groups. Most combine, after the confinement, both systems of purchase: physical in store and digital, but it is concluded that the increase of buying and selling over the Internet will not be reversed. And the need for governments to help small and medium-sized companies in their digitalization is stressed.

In reference to small and large companies, we have the article by Papadopoulosa et al. (2020), which shows the greatest difficulties for small companies in the face of an initial pandemic situation. This is due to their low capacity of reaction, low productivity, lower capital reserve and lack of innovation. For these types of companies, the collaboration of the public administration is requested for their digitalization, since they are unable to telework, the only option is the sale of products and services over the Internet. The interest in small companies lies in their value for the cohesion of the territory, they tend to be innovative and flexible and enhance sustainability.

Along the same lines, the article by Ikpe Justice Akpan et al. (2021) shows the need, not only to improve sales, but also to survive economically in today's world, to apply new technologies, especially in small and medium-sized companies. They improve relations between companies and customers, expand communication channels, improve remote actions with digital technology, virtual reality and AI, reduce costs and facilitate decision-making in the short and long term with the use of Big Data and predictive models.

In relation to the previous articles, the structure and organization of companies are dealt with by Kudyba (2020) on the basis of the companies' stakeholders. Thus, companies that were digitizing in a progressive and long-term manner, found themselves with the need to implement the changes quickly and immediately. Companies had to meet the demands of consumers in an interactive, remote, technology-intensive and uncertain way. The approach to work had to change, as did the relationship between suppliers and buyers. New technologies have facilitated this process, but only for those companies that had already begun a process of digitalization and e-commerce. For others, the result has been closure, although the studies being carried out in the economic framework highlight them as examples of what to avoid doing and how to develop strategies in the face of obstacles.

In the article by Rigoberto Casco (2020), the variation in consumer behavior is assessed and an attempt is made to predict whether this change will last after the pandemic. Initially, during confinement, consumers acted in two ways: hoarding “essential” products regardless of whether the price was the same or higher and adopting new habits – instead of going to the cinema watching films and series via Netflix. The author indicates that during confinement there was an overload of information obtained mostly on the internet which caused stress and anxiety. Confinement increased the use of new technologies: watching films on platforms, making video calls for work and maintaining relationships with family and friends (Zoom and WhatsApp), use of social networks (You Tube) or use of shopping platforms. The home became the space where everything was done: work, study, the gym, meals and leisure. There was no temporary separation of the different activities and not everyone knew how to deal with this correctly.

Companies also had to adapt to the situation since consumers could not go to shops as movement was limited and it was the companies that had to deliver to people's homes causing an increase in home sales. The author ends by saying that some of these improvised attitudes caused by confinement have been preserved and therefore companies have to take this into account for the maintenance and evolution of their business. Therefore, yes, this study confirms that confinement has caused as many changes in the consumer as in consumption and that some changes have become a trend (the purchase of “essential” products such as groceries from home that are delivered to your doorstep without the need to go to the store).

The relationship between companies and customers through social networks is addressed by Sergio Bote-López (2021) in qualitative research. Communication and marketing are perhaps the areas in which new communication trends are taking place in a more dynamic and rapid way. New consumers use social networks and new communication technologies, abandoning the old ways of finding out about companies, products and services. Companies should be aware that well-used social networks can help boost their business, especially among young consumers. In addition, the pandemic, with the confinements and the increase in online sales, have increased this type of more interactive, fast and flexible communication. Companies will have to think about adapting quickly to new consumer trends.

Finally, the article by Nishant Renu (2021) shows how the pandemic crisis on a global scale has led to an increase in the use of technical means and the advance of technology in different sectors, starting with healthcare (telehealth) and continuing with online entertainment, changes in consumer habits, the involvement of governments and international organizations in seeking cooperation between States, teleworking, 3D printing, virtual reality and distance learning. This is perhaps one of the few articles that covers all three aspects analyzed in this section while focusing on the economic aspect on which the other aspects revolve. However, it also indicates that both the pandemic and the use of new technologies have been uneven between more advanced countries and those in the developing world.

4.3. New technologies in the educational field

This section highlights a series of articles that comment on the impact of the measures taken at the beginning of the pandemic, especially those of confinement in the educational sector. For example, Jiménez (2020), based on his own experience as a schoolteacher, analyzes what it meant to be confined by Covid-19 and the discovery that the educational methods in Madrid (extrapolated to other Spanish regions) were inappropriate in an era of new technologies and the Internet. It is content-based teaching and not so much about fostering and creating the use of skills and discussions. The contents can already be found in encyclopedias and on the internet and what has to be worked on are the more social aspects of teaching, the ability to contrast opinions, to debate different points of view. With confinement, students were shut away from society, closed in their smaller and therefore more fragile family environments. The author highlights that students who had some type of disability or special needs were the most affected as they required an environment prepared for their learning that they did not have at home and they were taught by professionals from a distance when they require closeness and contact, and especially visual contact. The evaluation method is also questioned for trying to apply a methodology that had not been developed as usual and, therefore, needed other evaluative parameters.

Something similar is indicated in the article by Rivas and Álvarez (2020) but using a study that was conducted before the pandemic and delivered in 2019. In that article where the opinion of 203 students from Lima is investigated, it is shown that students can be self-sufficient in extreme situations and that they are able to correctly use the digital technologies needed to follow the distance courses. Applied to a pandemic situation, as is the case, the students were able to take advantage and learn.

The article by Nivela-Cornejo et al. (2021) shows the importance of the application of ICT in teaching by using what is referred to as a Learning Management System, or new teaching methodology in which the student is at the center of the teaching process. New teaching methodologies and activities such as virtual reality, video games and content organizers are used. In this way, the student is able to renew and adapt easily to changes, able to work collaboratively, but with a certain autonomy and the acquisition of knowledge, its comprehension, applicability and critical analysis.

The article by Rivas-Trujillo and Cifuentes-Faura (2020) discusses, in a practical way, how the impact of COVID-19 can modify the educational world and promote new trends in distance teaching. Some teachers and students believe that distance classes can be conducted as if they were face-to-face classes. On the teachers' side, the type of learning is different, since you do not have the student in front of you and you do not see clearly if the student is acquiring the knowledge correctly as it is not a question of giving lectures, but of transmitting knowledge and skills at the same time; for the student, managing time better and having a greater involvement and participation in the classes, in order to feel involved and improve their learning, is necessary. In both cases, it is important to know the basic ICT tools. That is to say, how to create videos, teaching material and support material, how to use e-mail, carry out tasks and provide forums for discussion and exchange of opinions. Classes via videoconference are also essential, but these must be used to clarify doubts and discuss the knowledge acquired. It is not advisable that they be mere transmissions of information and content in which the teacher speaks and presents without there being interaction with the students or between the students themselves. It is necessary to promote gamification activities, case studies, debates on real life issues, cooperation in learning and five-minute oral presentations in these classes. Inclusive aspects are also highlighted in this article, not only economic resources, but also, and more importantly, ICT knowledge.

In the article by Monasterio and Briceño (2020), the emotional and ethical aspects of the change from face-to-face to distance education due to confinement that involve a greater use of technologies are emphasized. In the face of the crisis caused by the pandemic, distance education has been the solution in most countries. However, this is a challenge for those families that only have a mobile device or do not even have ICT. The role of the public administrations has been noted, in this case UNESCO, to guarantee the education of girls and boys in spite of possible crises in their countries, whether they be natural (epidemics, natural disasters such as fires and floods) or human (armed conflicts, wars). The contributions of this study are to promote inclusive education, based on new communication technologies that imply learning from skills and not so much from content and redesigning the curriculum without forgetting something very important: the assessment of the private and social emotional aspects (the individual in the face of society or the environment they find themselves in) that this crisis situation may entail, which are more or less sustained over time.

The article by Hernández (2020), despite its brevity, offers interesting contributions both from both Ecuador and China in the world of education during the Covid-19 pandemic. As indicated in other articles, it highlights the role of UNESCO and governments for proper planning and application of new technologies in learning, highlighting reports and guides so that teachers can apply them correctly and be able to carry out education from a distance. The pandemic has accelerated the online teaching process allowing acquisition of knowledge anywhere at any time, but there is still a lack of knowledge among students and some teachers regarding the correct and equitable use of methodology and the acquisition of technological skills.

At a higher level, in post-compulsory education, the research work carried out by Morales Torres et al. (2021) is highlighted for emphasizing the use of ICT in university education to facilitate students' access to future jobs, which are increasingly digital and based on new technologies. The education of its citizens is essential for a society that wants to opt for good economic health (where humanistic aspects are also valued) and therefore, the digital knowledge of future university students is essential to later transfer this knowledge to the business and labor sectors. Teachers' knowledge in the use of ICT is important but so is the commitment of students as actors in their own training. Both factors mean that in the face of a pandemic such as Covid-19, it is not necessary to stop classes because you cannot attend in person, but rather to be able to assess the contribution and positive benefits of new technologies for the development of distance learning.

Along the lines of the previous one, the study by Jiménez Guerra et al. (2021) also analyzes the situation caused by the pandemic in university students and emphasizes the use of new technologies but introduces unique aspects such as taking into account the emotional aspects of the members of the educational community. From the institutional, national and international (UNESCO) point of view, education is considered one of the values to be actively maintained by guaranteeing its access to any student, valuing the mastery of new technologies and the emotional capacity to assume it in an autonomous way. Education has to adjust to the pandemic situation, establishing new schedules, deadlines for submission and submission of assignments, providing supplementary material and follow-up by faculty members. All this, at a distance, through new technologies, university applications and platforms and with the support of video calls.

The teacher's perspective is analyzed through an analytical study by Cardona-Londoño et al. (2020) that shows the different attitudes of teachers towards students based on the use of new technologies (they would only use them when they were trained and had good knowledge), the willingness to apply new teaching tools and methodologies, the acceptance of teaching changes and to improve communication among fellow teachers and with students in order to be more open and accessible. The reason for this attitude could be found in the pleasure of teaching and the teaching vocation of students as a benefit to society.

Finally, the article by Rodicio-García et al. (2020) quantitatively analyzes the situation of teaching during confinement through a survey of students. There is a digital divide in different aspects: resources (access to a mobile device or the internet), knowledge (you can have the resources, such as computers and tablets, but you may not know how to use them in the case of looking for information or transferring information to the teachers), or gender (men and women use ICT equally except that men use it more for programming and women more in content creation, for example). In the 21st century, it has been observed that it is possible to have access to digitization, while not knowing how to access and make proper use of it.

5. Conclusions

The most important conclusions of the articles published in 2020 and at the beginning of 2021 basically refer to the period of confinement that took place in most of the countries and answer the main objectives of this article which are the following:

• 1.Digitalization and new technologies have had a total and global impact on society mostly in a positive way during confinement and have allowed a certain normality to take place. However, action has always been taken after the events happened. Decisions, especially related to health and politics, have influenced the implementation of economic and social actions.
• 2.Big Data and AI can help understand, diagnose and treat Covid-19, but a unitary and general database would be necessary to obtain more information and for these investigations to be carried out by pharmaceutical companies and private medical institutions but with the supervision of the public administration and governments to protect the privacy of citizen's data.
• 3.Public bodies and governments, using their potential as large entities, must favor the implementation of equitable and accessible measures for the entire population in investment in health, education and small businesses by combining or using the most positive and universal aspects offered by ICT and Big Data.
• 4.Big Data offers rapid information to improve control over the pandemic from its detection, diagnosis and evolution in different variants, effects on people, cutting transmission or minimizing them through mobile applications and finally treating the disease with health or preventative measures, such as vaccinations. Big Data used to fight Covid-19 can improve the reaction to other issues and challenges facing the world, including establishing short and long-term predictive models.
• 5.Government action has been fundamental. The role and impact of funds that are being promoted from different governments and supra-governments (EU), in line with sustainability and the improvement of the environment, society stability and protection of the privacy of citizen's data. However, a digitalization of public companies that would facilitate contact with citizens and a correct interaction with private companies is urgently needed.
• 6.For companies COVID-19 can derive in a greater application of telework, improving the labor situation of workers, the productivity of companies and the environmental improvement in Society, as long as it is done correctly with optimal conditions, with public government regulation and for those non-essential and non-productive jobs that do not require presence in the company and/or factory. However, a hybrid situation could be considered with small groups and specific meetings on a regular basis (one week of every month, a meeting at the beginning and end of the projects, etc.) so as not to lose the leadership figures and the feeling of companionship that favor innovation and commitment to the company.
• 7.Small and medium-sized companies opted for e-commerce during confinement using social networks, web pages and mobile applications.
• 8.In the face of the crisis caused by the pandemic, distance education has been the solution in most countries. It highlights the role of UNESCO and governments for proper planning and application of new technologies in learning, highlighting reports and guides so that teachers can apply them correctly and be able to carry out education from a distance.
• 9.In the 21st century, it has been observed that it is possible to have access to digitization, while not knowing how to access and make proper use of it. With confinement students were shut away from society, closed in their smaller and therefore more fragile family environments.
• 10.Most of the articles are hopeful in terms of the correct use of technologies. Their contribution to the pandemic situation is positively valued in different aspects, not only in terms of health and economics, but also in social and emotional aspects.

Therefore, the use of new technologies during this initial period of the pandemic has been essential for the continuation of commercial and educational activities and for countries to continue to function. Use has been global, digitalization has taken place in all countries, although in some, it has been more intense than in others, as in Western countries as opposed to African and South American countries. Multinationals and large companies have been able to promote the use of new technologies with teleworking and e-commerce while small companies have had to reinvent themselves with collaborative methods and distance selling. Public administrations have shown themselves to be more backward and less innovative than private companies, and a need for digitalization in the public sector has been detected. And finally, the need for the State to control and regulate the privacy of citizens in the face of large business corporations has been noted.

New technologies have been used in all sectors, both economic and social. Unquestionably, in the field of healthcare, allowing vaccines to be made available in record time to avoid quarantines and guarantee the health of the most vulnerable people (the elderly, patients with dangerous diseases); this was possible because there were already some initial trials and prior digital knowledge in the field of nanotechnology. Secondly, in education, the new technologies allowed the school year not to be lost and all students to have access to knowledge and a certain degree of normality, although there have also been differences between students with computer access and knowledge and those belonging to more vulnerable social strata without access to the Internet. And finally, in the world of business and commerce, where companies have had to reinvent themselves and quickly digitize continuity in commercial exchanges has been achieved thanks to teleworking, social networks, the collaborative economy and e-commerce.

The new technologies have been beneficial because, in fact, without them, societies would have collapsed. They have brought more benefits than drawbacks by allowing the free flow of information, knowledge and the exchange of products and services. They have also been important at the affective level, permitting contact between families and groups of friends through video calls when face-to-face meetings are no longer possible.

There have been differences in the use of new technologies, as not all countries have reacted in the same way, nor have all companies taken the same actions. In some cases, citizens have become digitalized in shopping and leisure, changing their consumption routines of products and services such as audiovisuals, sports at home, culture and gastronomy. In education and work, it has been very important to carry out classes at a distance and meetings with online applications and material.

6. New line of research

A new line of research to be carried out during 2022 will focus on assessing the situation of the world society once vaccines have been implemented and with the arrival of successive variants of the pandemic. In some cases, the Delta and Omicron variants have led to a return to more or less drastic situations of confinement and health measures, such as the use of masks even outdoors or quarantines of increasingly shorter duration. On the other hand, the emphasis will be placed on a critical and ethical assessment of what digitalization and new technologies have represented during this two-year period with the dissemination of ideas and knowledge, but also the appearance of fake news, the indiscriminate use of social networks to spread both accurate information and conspiracy theories, data manipulation, the curtailment of individual human rights or the generation of a new social inequality, namely the digital divide between citizens with knowledge and access to ICTs and those without. The 2020 articles have not yet included these ethical aspects, driven by the vaccination and its connotation of public social responsibility and private individual freedom.

Data availability

No data was used for the research described in the article.